Special teams errors and offensive issues led to Nevada's 24-21 loss to Fresno State

The Nevada football team entered Friday night's matchup with Fresno State coming off Jeff Choate's best win of his first season with the Pack by defeating Oregon State. The Wolfpack had great success in the ground game against Oregon State, and if Nevada were to repeat last week's win against Fresno State, it would begin and end with the team's effectiveness. Fast forward to the end of Nevada's 24-21 loss to Fresno State, and that didn't happen. After having a lot of success with explosive plays in the first half, Nevada was shut out by Fresno State in the second half. The Wolfpack lost another one-possession game. This is Nevada's fourth game in which they have lost by one possession this season.

Let's recap how Nevada lost its fifth game of the season while losing its second conference game.

attack

The offense picked up where it left off after a win over Oregon State. On the game's first possession, QB Brendon Lewis connected with WR Jaden Smith on a deep reception to put Nevada inside Fresno State's 10-yard line. RB Savion Red would score just a few plays later, giving the Wolf Pack an early touchdown lead.

The offense continued to be explosive in the first half, with Nevada's second touchdown of the game coming when Lewis hit Nate Burleson II for a 46-yard touchdown. The score marked Burleson II's first touchdown in the silver and blue.

Lewis continued his outstanding first half by rushing for a touchdown in the final moments of the first half. Nevada finished the first two quarters with over 240 yards of offense.

The offense seemed to be trending in the right direction in the second half. However, some adjustments made by Fresno State at halftime resulted in a second half shutout.

Nevada managed just 55 yards of offense in the final two quarters. So what went wrong? Well, for one thing, the rushing attack couldn't get anything going as the team sprinted less than 100 yards. Additionally, the Wolf Pack struggled with poor field position on all of its possessions in the second half, with several of them ending up inside Nevada's 10-yard line.

Lewis left this game banged up late in the game. Substitute Chubba Purdy came into the game and played the final two-game series in his absence. A late throw downfield would bounce incomplete as the problems on offense largely led to the Wolf Pack's defeat.

defense

It was up and down for Nevada's defense. The Wolf Pack's defensive problems largely came down to limiting Fresno State's explosive plays. One play that hurt Nevada in this game came when the Bulldogs were pushed back on their side and dialed a wide receiver screen that penetrated 71 yards deep into Nevada territory. This play allowed Fresno State to take a late 24-21 lead, which would prove to be a game-winning win for the Bulldogs.

The defense had its moments, with a Drue Watts interception, a four-and-goal stand and two timely sacks.

Special teams

This is a part of the game that I mostly don't discuss in my post-game stories, but special teams played a big role in Nevada's loss. Two of Nevada's punts resulted in Guy Gillipsie eating the ball and attempting to run for the first down. Of course, Gillespie was tackled well short of the first down marker. The field position afforded to Fresno State proved to be beneficial for the Bulldogs as they were able to score a touchdown. These punt defense mishaps led to Nevada sending backup quarterback AJ Bianco onto the field for a pooch kick from the shotgun position on fourth down.

Next

Nevada will head to paradise in a match against the Hawaii Warriors. Nevada is still looking for its first Mountain West conference win of the season and will look to accomplish that in the Aloha State.