RENO, Nev. (AP) - UNLV redshirt freshman quarterback Kenyon Oblad hooked up with freshman receiver Steve Jenkins for a 19-yard touchdown in overtime and UNLV slipped past instate rival Nevada 33-30 on Saturday in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon.
UNLV (4-8, 2-6 Mountain West jumped out to a 17-0 lead by the end of the first quarter on Daniel Gutierrez's 40-yard field goal, Charles Williams' 80-yard TD run and Oblad's 32-yard scoring strike to Mekhi Stevenson.
Nevada (7-5, 4-4 Mountain West) scored on three straight possessions -- a 2-yard TD run by Devonte Lee and two field goals by Brandon Talton -- to close within 17-13. But Oblad needed just one play after Talton's second field goal to push the lead Rebels' lead to 24-13 when he connected with Jenkins for a 75-yard score on first down.
After a scoreless third quarter, Gutierrez booted a 50-yard field goal to put UNLV up 27-13 with 9:08 remaining in the game. The Wolf Pack closed to within 27-20 on Carson Strong's 24-yard TD pass to Dominic Christian with 6:47 left and sent the game to overtime when Lee capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run with 1:32 left in regulation.
Nevada grabbed a 30-27 lead in overtime on Talton's 42-yard field goal, but the Rebels needed just three plays for Oblad to find Jenkins for the game-winner.
Oblad finished 16-of-22 passing for 229 yards and three TDs. Williams ran for 138 yards on 20 carries, while Jenkins hauled in five passes for a career-high 140 yards and his first two TDs.
Strong completed 33 of 54 passes for 351 yards and a TD for the Wolf Pack. Elijah Cooks had 12 catches for 151 yards -- both were career highs for the junior.
Nevada, which was trying for its first eight-win season since 2010, saw its three-game win streak end.
Postgame notes – UNLV
-On his fifth reception of the game, junior WR
Elijah Cooks went over 1,000 yards for his career.
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Elijah Cooks also recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. He went over 100 yards in the second quarter. He finished the game with a career-high 12 receptions and a career-high 151 receiving yards.
-True freshman PK
Brandon Talton was 3-for-4 in the game on FG attempts with a long of 42 yards. He is now 18-for-22 on the season. His 18 made FGs are seventh-most in a single season in program history. He needs one more make to tie Marty Zendejas for sixth.
-Sophomore DE
Dom Peterson recorded his team-best eighth sack of the season, and 11
th of his career, in the second quarter. He has recorded at least 1.0 TFL in 11 of his last 12 games played.
-Senior WR
Dominic Christian hauled in a career-high 11 catches for a career-high 98 yards. He collected his second TD reception of the season, and first since the season opener, in the fourth quarter to bring Nevada within a touchdown.
-Sophomore RB
Devonte Lee scored the Pack's first TD of the game, his third consecutive game with a touchdown. He totaled two rushing TDs, including the game-tying score in the fourth quarter. It marked his second multi-TD game of the season and fourth of his career.
-Senior WR
Ben Putman caught a career-best five receptions for a season-high 69 yards and had a long of 35 yards.
-Junior NT
Chris Green recorded his first sack of the season in the third quarter that went for six yards. That gives him 2.5 for his career.
-Nevada had two players record double digit receptions for the first time this season as junior
Elijah Cooks posted 12 catches, while senior
Dominic Christian had 11. They join sophomore WR
Romeo Doubs as the only Wolf Pack receivers this season with double digit receptions (Doubs had 11 vs. New Mexico).
-Redshirt freshman QB
Carson Strong established many career highs in the game, including pass completions (33), pass attempts (54) and passing yards (351). Strong is 100-for-151 for 957 yards in the month of November.
-Senior P
Quinton Conaway rolled a season-long 67-yard punt that pinned UNLV back to its own 3-yard line just before halftime. He punted four times in the game for an average of 45.5 yards per punt and two that landed inside the 20-yard line.
-Senior PK
Spencer Pettit made his first appearance of the season, coming on to complete the PAT on the Wolf Pack's first TD of the game in the second quarter.
-Senior WR
Brendan O'Leary-Orange earned his first start of the season. He grabbed three catches for 28 yards, two of which went for first downs.
-The all-time series between Nevada and UNLV is now 26-19 in favor of the Wolf Pack. UNLV has won the last two games over Nevada.
