Bowl
Game of the Year
New
Mexico Bowl: Arizona vs. Nevada (49-48)
Highlights:
This
had to be one of the best bowl season openers of all-time. Arizona was an
8.5-point favorite. The Wildcats were going for their first bowl victory since
2008 and their first 8-win season since 2009. They also wanted to finish Rich
Rodriguez’s first year on a positive note. Nevada was also trying for 8 wins.
More importantly, they were trying for just their fifth bowl victory ever, and
they were trying to get Chris Ault just his third bowl win in 10 tries. Although
it was not known at the time, this would be Chris Ault’s 343rd and
final game as head coach of the Wolf Pack.
This was a game of runs
if ever there was one. Nevada had the first 3 scores, Arizona got the next 3.
Later, Nevada scored 3 times in a row again, and Zona ended the game with 3 of
the final 4 scores. The over/under line for this one was set at 79, and the
over was looking good at halftime following a 59-point 1st half.
The individual numbers
really weren’t all that gaudy; it was really more about the team totals and
combined totals. The two teams combined for 98 points, 1237 yards, and 70 1st
downs. The 70 combined 1st downs set a bowl game record, flying past
the old record of 62.
Nevada had a 39-31 edge
in 1st downs, setting a bowl game record for most 1st
downs (the record had been 36). The Wolf Pack also outgained Arizona 659-578
and had a 19:20 edge in TOP. Nevada was 3 for 3 in the game on 4th
down. On the other hand, the Pack committed 8 penalties for 77 yards, failed to
recover a crucial onsides kick, and lost the turnover battle 3-4.
Early on it was clear
that one team had come ready to play and the other team was a bit late to the
starting gate. Nevada got the ball first and immediately marched 75 yards on 8
plays in just 2:48 for a score, with Stefphon Jefferson running it in from 16
yards out to put the Pack up 7-0. Arizona picked up 1 1st down on
their first offensive possession and then had to punt.
Nevada drove into
Arizona territory on their second possession, but on 3rd and 1 from
the 44 Jefferson was thrown for a 2-yard loss and they had to punt. Arizona went
3-and-out on their second possession. A punt of just 26 yards gave Nevada the
ball at the Arizona 48. The Wolf Pack then went 48 yards in 8 plays over 3:05
for another score, with Cody Fajardo hitting Zach Sudfeld on a 17-yard completion
for the TD to make it 14-0.
Arizona’s offense never
even got the ball on their third possession. Jared Baker fumbled the ensuing
kickoff and Nevada recovered at the 28-yardline. On the first play after the turnover
Fajardo went to Sudfeld again for a 28-yard strike that made it 21-0 with
4-and-a-half minutes still to play in the opening quarter.
Finally Arizona got
into the game on their fourth possession. They moved 72 yards on 11 plays over
just 2:37 to get on the board. Along the way they faced 4th and 3
from the Nevada 25. Matt Scott ran with the ball for 4 yards to the 21 and a 1st
down. On the next play Ka’Deem Carey went 21 yards for the score to make it
7-21 with a little less than 2 minutes left on the clock in the 1st
quarter.
It remained to be seen
if Arizona’s defense could get a stop. Nevada moved right back into Arizona
territory on their fifth possession. But then Fajardo went deep and was picked
off by Shaq Richardson at the 2. Richardson returned it out to the 29 and the 1st
quarter ended with the Wildcats threatening to get back into the game.
The Cats would march 71
yards in 9 plays over just 2:20 to make it a 1-score game. Scott put the ball
in the end zone from a yard out to make it 14-21 early in the 2nd
quarter. Again Nevada moved into Arizona territory on their sixth possession,
but for the second straight drive the Cats forced a turnover. This time Nevada
had a 1st down at the Zona 44 when Jared Tevis forced Jefferson to
fumble and the Wildcats took over at their own 41.
Now it was Arizona’s
offense that couldn’t be stopped. The Cats went 59 yards in 8 plays over just
1:21, with Carey scoring from a yard out to tie the score at 21-21 with
10-and-a-half minutes still remaining in the half. Nevada had gone on a 21-0
run over 7 minutes and 43 seconds, and now Arizona had matched that with a 21-0
run over 6 minutes and 29 seconds.
Finally Nevada
responded. The Wolf Pack went on an 11-play, 76-yard drive over 4:26, with
Jefferson scoring on a 14-yard TD to cap it off. That stopped Arizona’s scoring
run and put Nevada back on top, 28-21, with 5:57 to go in the half.
It didn’t take too long
for the Wildcats to respond. They needed just 6 plays and 1:35 to go 75 yards
for a score. Carey scored from 9 yards out to tie it up again at 28-28 with
4:22 left in the 3rd.
Nevada’s offense got
rolling again on their next possession. They weren’t able to get a touchdown
out of the drive but they were able to eat up the remaining 4 minutes and 22
seconds of the 1st half. They converted on a 4th and 2
from the Arizona 42, with Fajardo carrying it himself for 4 yards to the 38.
Allen Hardison booted a 27-yard FG at the gun to finish off a 16-play, 65-yard
drive and send the Pack to the locker room up 31-28.
Arizona got the ball
first in the 2nd half but Nevada’s defense forced a 3-and-out. This
made the Pack’s FG late in the 1st half even bigger, as they could
now take a 2-score lead if the offense could get into the end zone again. The
offense could indeed get back into the end zone. They went 89 yards in 11 plays
for a score on their opening possession of the 3rd quarter, taking
4:13 off the clock. Fajardo and Richy Turner hooked up on a 33-yard TD that
made it 38-28 Nevada with 9:19 to play in the 3rd.
Arizona drove into
Nevada territory on their second possession of the 3rd quarter. They
reached the Nevada 35 before Scott was picked off by Bryson Keeton at the
15-yardline. That got the Wolf Pack offense back on the field. They went on a
long, time consuming drive, marching 84 yards on 15 plays over 6:26. On the key
play of the drive, Nevada faced 4th and 1 from the Arizona 23 and
decided to go for it, giving the ball to Nick Hale who picked up 2 yards and a
1st down at the 21. Fajardo put the ball into the end zone from a
yard out to cap the drive and make it 45-28 with less than 2 minutes remaining
in the 3rd.
It wasn’t looking good
for the Wildcats. They had to start their next possession at their own 11, but
they were moving the ball as the 3rd quarter ended. Trailing by 3
scores at the start of the 4th, they needed to score and they had to
do it relatively quickly. Arizona had a 3rd and 10 at their own 37
on the second play of the 4th quarter when Scott fired a 63-yard TD
to Austin Hill to make it a 10-point game. That was exactly what they needed.
At some point Arizona
was going to have to stop Nevada’s offense. The Wildcat defense was able to get
it done on the ensuing Nevada drive. Nick Hale gained 2 yards on the first play
of the possession and 1 yard on the next play. Somehow Fajardo had gotten
injured and backup Devin Combs was forced into the game for this series. After
a false start on 3rd down, Combs fired incomplete on 3rd
and 12 to bring up a punting situation.
Chase Tenpenny got off
a booming punt that sailed deep into Arizona territory, but Sean Willet went
back and fielded the kick at his own 2-yardline and then brought it back out to
the 25. That’s where Arizona took over, down 10, with 12:49 remaining. The Cats
moved into Nevada territory. On 4th and 1 from the 41 Scott took it
himself and picked up 2 yards for a 1st down at the 39. But on 4th
and 7 from the 36 Scott was intercepted by Duke Williams at the 8.
Williams returned it to
the 35 and Nevada took over still holding a 2-score lead with only 9:14 left. Fajardo
was able to come back into the game but Ault would say afterwards that the
injury did have an impact on Nevada’s offense the rest of the way. The Wolf
Pack drove to the Arizona 45, but for some reason they wanted to throw the ball
rather than keeping the ball on the ground and eating clock. Fajardo threw
incomplete on 2nd and 3rd down and Nevada had to punt.
This time Tenpenny’s
punt was downed at the 2. Nevada’s defense now stepped up, getting a 3-and-out
and forcing Arizona to punt the ball. Following a punt of 41 yards and a
13-yard return, Nevada had the ball at Arizona’s 37, up 10, with 6:15 to go.
Over the first two
plays of the possession Jefferson picked up 15 yards, giving Nevada a 1st
down at the 22. But on the next play Nevada was flagged for holding, making it
1st and 20 from the 32. The Cats used their first timeout with 4:08
on the clock. On 3rd and 14 from the 26 Hale got the ball and picked
up 13 yards to the 13. Nevada called time to think things over with 3:20 on the
clock. They decided to go for it on 4th and 1 and Fajardo took it
himself and got enough for the 1st down at the 12.
That seemed like the
dagger. Nevada ran it on the next two plays and Arizona burned their final two
timeouts. On 3rd and 4 from the 6 Nevada gave it to Hale but he was
stopped for a 2-yard loss. Nevada let the clock run all the way down and called
time with just 1:53 left.
With less than 2
minutes remaining and Arizona down double digits, the 3rd down stop
really didn’t seem important, but in hindsight it was huge. If Hale scores on
that play and Nevada gets the extra point it’s a 17-point game and over for
sure. If Hale just gets enough for the 1st down the game is over, as
Arizona was out of timeouts, and Nevada could have kneeled the ball 3 times and
taken almost all of the time off the clock.
Driving Hale back for a
loss was also important. Going for it on 4th down was a definite option
for Nevada, as they already had a 10-point lead. They could try to put the game
away with a TD or a 1st down, and if they failed it would make Arizona
have to go 90+ yards just to get within 3. But that option became less
desirable when Hale lost 2 yards, making it 4th and 6 from the 8.
The Wolf Pack decided to kick the field goal, and Hardison put the 25-yarder up
and good to make it 48-35 with only 1:48 on the clock.
After a touchback, Arizona
began their next possession at the 25 with just 1:48 left and no timeouts.
Their slim hopes were nearly extinguished on the first play of the drive. Scott
threw a pass out to the right flat to Hill and he was hit 3 yards behind the
line of scrimmage and fumbled. Garic Wharton kept Arizona alive, recovering the
fumble at the 29. That actually made it 2nd and 6 but the clock was
running.
Now Matt Scott did
something very important. He saw that Nevada’s DB’s were giving an obscene
amount of cushion while attempting to prevent a big play and keep everything in
front of them. So Scott just threw the ball out to the right to Terrence Miller
and let him get all that he could before the defense was able to knock him out
of bounds. On 2nd down Scott went to Miller for 17. On the next play
they hooked up for 12.
Then Nevada’s secondary
reacted and got called for pass interference. All of the sudden Arizona was at
the Nevada 27 with the clock stopped. They got a bit cute and tried to run
Carey up the middle and he was stopped at the 23. The clock continued to run
but when Scott did finally get it snapped he was able to go right back to
Miller for 8 yards and a 1st down at the 15.
Again, the Nevada
secondary overreacted, as Williams was called for pass interference on the next
play, giving the Wildcats a 1st down at the 2. Scott then went to
Hill in the end zone for a 2-yard TD completion that made it a 1-score game,
42-48, with just 46 seconds to play. The Cats had gone 75 yards on just 6 plays
over a minute and 6 seconds.
Regardless of Matt
Scott’s excellent play, Nevada’s questionable defensive strategy, and the
nerves of the secondary, all of this was still likely to be moot. To have a
chance for any of that to matter Arizona had to recover an onsides kick, and
given that Nevada knew it was coming, that was not at all likely to happen.
Usually someone on the
hands team makes the play or the ball goes out of bounds or it doesn’t even go
10 yards. But this time it worked, as Nevada’s hands team failed to corral the
ball. The Wildcats recovered at their own 49 with 42 seconds remaining. They had
no timeouts but that wasn’t as big of a deal now because the clock would stop
with every 1st down and they only needed to go 51 yards.
Also, Scott was now on
fire. On the first play he hit Garic Wharton for 28 yards and a 1st
down at the 23. On the next play he found Hill at the 2 for a 21-yard pickup
and a 1st and goal. On the next play he threw a 2-yard TD pass to
Miller to tie the score at 48-48 with just 19 seconds remaining. They had
needed just 3 plays.
Nevada now made the odd
decision to burn their final timeout prior to the extra point. Assumingly they
wanted to setup some kind of block attempt but that just seems silly. If there
was some kind of trick block play—say by overloading 1 side of the line or
something—why do you need a timeout to set that up anyway? Well whatever the case,
there was no drama on the PAT. John Bonano drilled it to put Arizona ahead for
the first time all day, 49-48. On the final 2 drives, Arizona went 126 yards on
9 plays in just 1:29 to score 14 points.
Arizona decided to go
with a regular kickoff and Bonano booted it into the end zone for a touchback.
Nevada only needed a FG to save themselves, but they were at their own 25 with only
19 seconds to work with. They could have used that last timeout that they
wasted before the extra point.
It may not have mattered
anyway. On the first play Fajardo fired high and down the middle and was picked
off by Marquis Flowers at the Nevada 46. Arizona took a knee and got on with
the celebration.
They had pulled off a
miracle for the ages. They were the first team to win a game they trailed by
double digits with less than 2 minutes since Oregon did it against Oklahoma in
September of 2006. It was the first bowl game of the year and it would be the
best of the entire bowl season.
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