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Butler leads Nevada to 28-23 win over CSU in Arizona Bowl
Posted On Dec 29 2015
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Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson was justifiably outraged by the fact that two teams in his conference were selected to play in the inaugural Arizona Bowl on December 29. The Wolf Pack finished at 6-6 after dropping their final two games of the regular season and will look to reach the seven-win plateau for the fourth time in five years.
The game, which kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time at Tucson’s Arizona Stadium, will air on the American Sports Network and will be available in more than 88 million homes, according to the bowl. Defensively, Colorado State football yields 394.8 yards and 27.2 points per game against the opposing teams. The over/under total for the game has been set at 56 points.
Nevada fans say they’re ready to give Colorado a run for their money.
Nevada clinched its bowl berth with a win over San Jose State on November 14, but closed the season with consecutive losses.
The game was the first since the 1979 Orange Bowl to pit teams from the same conference against each other. Stevens, harassed by the Wolf Pack’s aggressive front four, struggled to find his rhythm all night, completing just 22 of 42 passes for 310 yards, finishing without a single passing touchdown. Colorado State wide receiver Rashard Higgins took a slant pass 38 yards inside the 1, and quarterback Nick Stevens snuck in for a touchdown and a 7-6 lead 7:04 before halftime. Seconds later, Nevada’s players streamed onto the field to celebrate.
The next big play came on special teams: Mitchell took a kickoff up the middle, made a juke and was gone for a 96-yard touchdown, Nevada’s first kickoff return for a score since 1998. For the CSU defense, getting gashed by explosive runs has been a concern all season, and the Rams did allow more than 200 yards on the ground in the final two games. – Nevada’s defense kept holding time and time again.
Nevada is averaging 21.9 yards per kick return (#43 in FBS) and 12.6 yards per punt return (#20 in FBS), while the Rams are averaging 25.2 yards per kick return (#17 in FBS) and 12.6 yards per punt return (#21 FBS).
The Rams will need to tackle well, as Wolf Pack backs James Butler (1,153 yards rushing) and Don Jackson (1,028) both have big-play potential and will not be stalled by arm tackles.
