UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack Box Score on Oct 03, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Oct 3, 2015

RENO, Nev. – Junior linebacker Ryan McAleenan returned an interception 52 yards for the winning touchdown as UNLV upset in-state rival Nevada, 23-17, in the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams on Saturday at Mackay Stadium.

It was the second straight victory for the Rebels (2-3, 1-0), who have already matched their 2014 win total under first year head coach Tony Sanchez.

Junior tailback Keith Whitely and sophomore backup quarterback Kurt Palandech each had touchdown runs for UNLV, which led 13-3 after three quarters and seemed in control of the game.

But Nevada (2-3, 0-1) closed to within 13-10 on a 23-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Tyler Stewart to junior wide receiver Jerico Richardson with 10:47 remaining and had the ball on its 49-yard line when McAleenan picked off a Stewart pass that was deflected at the line by senior defensive end Jeremiah Valoaga and raced 52 yards up the left sideline to increase UNLV's lead to 20-10.

Nevada closed to within 20-17 one a 1-yard run by Don Jackson with 4:50 left but turned the ball over on downs at its own 33 on its next possession. Junior Nicolai Bornand then kicked a 45-yard field goal with 1:53 to go to make it 23-17, and Nevada's final drive stalled at the UNLV 43.

UNLV dominated the first half, rolling up 246 yards to just 103 for the Wolf Pack while controlling the ball for over 19 minutes.

Still, the Rebels only led 7-0 on Whitely's scoring run on the first series of the game until Palandech scored on a 12-yard run with 30 seconds left in the half. Bornand's extra point, initially ruled good on the field, was later reviewed and found to have gone wide left and the Rebels went into halftime with a 13-0 lead.

UNLV tarting quarterback Blake Decker left the game with 38 seconds left in the second quarter with a left arm injury after landing awkwardly at the end of a scramble.

NOTES: The two teams play for the Fremont Cannon, a replica of a 19th-century howitzer used by John C. Fremont, one of the United States' leading western explorers in 1830's and 1840's and one of four major generals appointed by Abraham Lincoln. The winning team paints the cannon, originally valued at over $10,000, in school colors and usually puts it on display in its athletic department or locker room. ... Nevada had won nine of the 10 previous meetings with UNLV's only win coming in Reno, 27-22 in 2013. ... UNLV entered the contest with eight interceptions in four games, one more than the Rebels had for the entire 2014 campaign. ... This was only the second time the schools played each other in a conference opener. The other time was in 1993 when both were members of the Big West Conference.