Box Score Sept. 19, 2015 Box Score 
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Assistant Director, Athletic Communications
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Nevada football team showed plenty of heart and played an improved game from week two to week three before falling, 44-27, to 17th-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday at Kyle Field.
The Wolf Pack was playing its first SEC opponent in program history and was also playing in front of the largest crowd it has ever been a part with 102,591 people at Kyle Field. Nevada represented itself well and can take positives from its performance after playing the Aggies tough for four quarters.
Sophomore RB James Butler broke the 100-yard rushing barrier for the second time in his career and junior QB Tyler Stewart passed for a career-high 206 yards. Despite some solid drives on both sides of the ball for Nevada, Texas A&M's 535 total yards and 44 points were too much to overcome on a sunny, muggy day in College Station.
How It Happened: Texas A&M took a quick 7-0 lead with a game-opening drive before Nevada's defense forced a three-and-out from the deep in the Aggies' red zone on their next drive. After a 12-yard punt return, Nevada took the ball at A&M's 40-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-short, senior RB Don Jackson bounced wide of the tackle and found room for a 31-yard touchdown rush to tie the game.
Senior LB Matthew Lyons appeared to give Nevada a 14-7 lead on a fumble return for a touchdown, but the play was called back on a penalty and the Aggies responded by quickly driving down the field to score. Junior PK Brent Zuzo converted a 27-yard field goal to pull Nevada within 14-10, but the Aggies then scored 10 unanswered points to lead 24-10 at halftime.
Nevada played the Aggies tough in the second half as Texas A&M only posted 20-17 scoring advantage in the third and fourth quarter. Zuzo hit another field goal, junior WR Hasaan Henderson caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Stewart and senior RB Don Jackson caught a nine-yard touchdown pass.
Texas A&M outgained Nevada by a 535-359 margin while Kyle Allen's four touchdown passes and Tra Carson's 137 yards rushing led the Aggies to the victory.
Play of the Game: Tyler Stewart and Hasaan Henderson left no doubt about Nevada's play of the game. On second down from 27 yards out in the third quarter, Stewart lobbed a well-paced pass to the corner of the end zone. Henderson - on the fade route - leaned back and came up with a one-armed, back shoulder catch while he was falling down and being held by his defender near the corner pylon.
Despite defensive pass interference, Henderson held on to the ball and trimmed the Aggies' lead to 38-20 with 2:42 left in the quarter. Henderson's catch made waves on social media, with both SportsCenter and ESPN's twitter accounts mentioning the play.
Player of the Game: Perhaps more-so than any Wolf Pack player, Hasaan Henderson looked at home against SEC competition. The 6-foot-5 wideout caught five passes for 69 yards and a score, while also forcing four pass interference/defensive holding penalties. Henderson was a threat throughout the contest.
Butler also excelled for Nevada, averaging 6.3 yards per carry in his second career 100-yard rushing effort. Butler ran for a team-high 107 yards with two runs over 25 yards.
Quick Facts: This was the Wolf Pack's first game against an SEC member … Kyle Field's 102,571 fans marked the highest-attended game Nevada has ever been a part of … Nevada was playing ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks for the third time in program history … Redshirt-freshman Asauni Rufus posted a game-high mark in tackles for the third straight game … James Butler's 107 yards rushing were his second most in his career … Tyler Stewart's 206-yards passing set a new career-high, eclipsing his previous high of 203 yards set against Hawai'i in 2013 … Senior LB Jordan Dobrich and senior DE Ian Seau were starting in their 20th career games at Nevada.
What it Means: The Wolf Pack will face some pressure and adversity next week at Buffalo, hoping to enter Mountain West play with a one-game win streak rather than a three-game losing streak. Today's loss won't break Nevada's spirits, however, as the Wolf Pack came away with positives in all three phases against the 17th-ranked Aggies. With No. 20 Arizona and No. 17 Texas A&M the past two weeks, the Wolf Pack has played ranked opponents consecutively for just the third time in program history.
Up Next: The Wolf Pack closes its nonconference slate next week on the road, playing at Buffalo (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET) from UB Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y. This will be Nevada's second game against Buffalo, with the previous meeting resulting in a 38-13 Pack victory in 2004 at Mackay Stadium. The Bills are 2-1 this season after beating Florida Atlantic today, 33-15. Nevada's 2,125-mile trip to Buffalo is the sixth longest trip any team will be making this season in the continental U.S.
