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Box Score Season Statistics

By Brady Johnson
Assistant Director, Athletic Communications

FRESNO, Calif. - Under the lights of Bulldog Stadium and with a primetime ESPN2 audience tuning in, the Wolf Pack shined in a 30-16 victory over Fresno State on Thursday night. Nevada pitched a second half shutout and out-gained the Bulldogs by a 335-73 margin in the second half, improving to 5-4 on the season and 3-2 in Mountain West play.

Leading by a 17-16 margin at halftime, the Wolf Pack posted a 13-0 advantage in the second half to tally consecutive wins for the first time this season. Nevada tallied a balanced 498 yards of total offense with 292 rushing and 206 passing, while the defense forced four takeaways and has now allowed just one touchdown in the second half in the past five games.

Senior RB Don Jackson rushed 21-times for a game-high 140 yards and became the 15th player in program history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards. Sophomore RB James Butler rushed for 122 yards and a score. Additionally, junior QB Tyler Stewart completed 12-of-17 passes for 206 yards while junior WR Hasaan Henderson posted a season-high 136 receiving yards. On defense, true freshman Dameon Baber matched a MW record with three interceptions.

How It Happened: The Pack defense got the team off to a strong start with a scoop-and-score defensive touchdown on the first drive of the game. Senior DE Ian Seau stripped the ball loose and senior LB Matthew Lyons returned the ball 30 yards to the house, making it 7-0 less than two minutes into the contest.

Nevada took a 14-3 lead in the second quarter on its longest passing play of the season as Stewart hit Henderson for a 73-yard touchdown reception. The Bulldogs used a 14-3 scoring advantage in the final nine minutes of the half to trail by just one (17-16) at halftime.

The Wolf Pack's second half was a thing of beauty, as Nevada out-gained Fresno State 335-73 in a second half shutout. After being held in check with 25 rushing yards on 15 carries, Nevada exploded for 267 yards on 35 carries in the second half. Jackson tallied 131 of his 140 rushing yards in the second half while 116 of Butler's 122 rushing yards came in the second half.

Junior PK Brent Zuzo - who made a 47-yard field goal late in the second quarter - split the uprights from 30 and 25 yards to make it 23-16 with 42 seconds left in the third. Butler broke free for a 59-yard touchdown rush with 11:17 left in the game to make it 30-16.

The fourth quarter was the Dameon Baber show, as the true freshman safety intercepted passes on Fresno State's final three drives. Baber matched a MW record - the ninth player in MW history to pick off three passes in a single game - and now has six picks in six career games played. Baber's three interceptions were the most for Nevada since Greg Grouwinkel picked off four passes against Portland State on Sept. 28, 1974.

Nevada scored in 3-of-5 drives in the second half - excluding its kneel-down on the final drive - while the defense forced two punts and three interceptions in Fresno State's five second half drives.

Play of the Game: On 3rd-and-6 from its own 27-yard line in the second quarter, Nevada's offensive line gave Stewart a clean pocket to pass at of. Stewart surveyed the field before going deep to Henderson on the fade route. Henderson out-jumped two Bulldogs for the catch and raced unscathed for a 73-yard touchdown reception. The play was Nevada's longest pass of the season, while it gave the team a big jolt of momentum.

Player of the Game: There's no wrong answer for the Wolf Pack's player of the game, as Nevada received multiple standout individual performances. Henderson was a matchup nightmare and looked the best player on the field at times, catching five passes for 136 yards and a score. The Wolf Pack's two star running backs each shined, as Jackson ran for 140 yards and reached 2,000 career rush yards while Butler finished with 122 yards rushing and one score.

Baber's three interceptions is quite the feat, as he became the ninth player in Mountain West history to tally three picks in a single game. It's also hard to ignore the kicker, as Zuzo went 3-of-3, improved his season total to 13-of-14 and again showed himself to be one of the top kickers in the nation.

What it Means: After beating Hawai'i and now Fresno State following its bye week, Nevada won't go away lightly in MW West Division contention. The Pack also rose above .500 (5-4) on the season and moved one step closer towards its 10th bowl appearance in the past 11 seasons.

Records aside, the Pack will feel good about its on-field performance; the offense, defense and special teams each put together strong performances and played key roles in the victory. In the process, Nevada also knocked off a pesky opponent as the senior class tallied its first win against Fresno State, snapping a three-game skid against the Bulldogs.

Up Next: Nevada returns to Mackay Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 14 against San Jose State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. between the Pack and Spartans (4-4, 3-2). The game will be broadcast digitally by the Mountain West Network, powered by Campus Insiders.

Prior to the game, Nevada will honor its 12-player senior class; DE Lenny Jones, RB Don Jackson, LB Bryan Lane Jr., LB Jordan Dobrich, DE Ian Seau, DE Rykeem Yates, LB Matthew Lyons, LB Faigofie Faaituala, LB Trevor Taft, DT Kevin McReynolds, OL Brent Roling and DT Jeremy Miller.