Wolf Pack storms back
Three unanswered touchdowns by UNR allowed the Wolf Pack to take control of the annual battle for the Fremont Cannon at Sam Boyd Stadium.
UNR takes a 28-20 lead into the locker room at halftime, but it could have been worse for the home team.
UNLV trailed by 11 before Ben Jaekle connected on a 53-yard field goal with under a minute to play, giving the Rebels a bit of a lift before the break.
After a promising start, UNLV was dominated on both sides of the ball in the second quarter.
The Rebels will have to find a way to contain UNR quarterback Colin Kaepernick if they want to have any chance to win this game.
The 6-foot-6-inch sophomore has beaten UNLV with his arm and his legs. He is a very good passer and is extremely athletic for his size.
Kaepernick has seven rushes for 84 yards and a touchdown, and has completed 7 of 9 passes for 140 yards and two scores.
Mike Sanford and his staff would be well served to spend the majority of the intermission discussing a new plan for containing UNR’s emerging star signal-caller.
Huge Penalty
Johan Asiata was called for a holding penalty that wiped out what would have been a 49-yard touchdown pass from Clayton to Ryan Wolfe with just over four minutes left in the second quarter.
UNR had scored 21 straight points, and the long score would have stemmed the tide a bit, in addition to getting the Rebels back within one score.
It was the kind of penalty UNLV teams have committed so often in the past, but have worked hard to eliminate this season.
The Rebels eventually got a field goal on the drive, but seven points would have looked a lot better than three in that situation.
Unsung play
There are many underrated jobs in sports.
Perhaps none is as overlooked as that of a holder on place-kicks in football.
Usually, nobody notices holders until something goes wrong.
Well, UNR holder Luke Collis made an incredible play to save the Wolf Pack a point on its third touchdown.
The redshirt freshman, listed as a quarterback on the roster, had to stand up out of his crouch to make the catch of the snap.
He somehow caught it and got back to his knees in time to set the ball for Brett Jaekle, who kicked the extra point straight through.
Hey, every extra point counts. Just ask Florida.
Where’s the Cannon?
Usually the Fremont Cannon is quite visible during the annual battle between UNLV and UNR. The cannon is normally displayed on the sideline of the previous year's winner, painted in that school's colors.
Tonight, it is tough to find.
Certainly it is on the field somewhere, but it has been hard to spot during the first half.
