Nevada Notes
NEVADA BEGINS WILSON ERA SATURDAY
Nevada (0-0) opens the Ken Wilson Era this Saturday night, visiting Las Cruces to take on New Mexico at 7 p.m. PT (8 p.m. local). Saturday’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Andre Ware (analyst) on the call, and Paul Carcaterra on the sidelines.
The Wolf Pack Radio Network will call the game as well on ESPN 94.5 FM with John Ramey (playby-play) and Mike Edwards (analyst) in the booth, with the 60-minute pregame show to begin at 6 p.m. PT.
SERIES HISTORY
Nevada leads the overall series with New Mexico State, 13-2, and has won the past six meetings. The Wolf Pack is a perfect 7-0 against the Aggies in Las Cruces, including a 48-34 victory in the most recent meeting between the teams, back on Oct. 29, 2011.
Nevada head coach Ken Wilson was on that Wolf Pack staff that defeated the Aggies in 2011, serving as associate head coach and overseeing the defensive ends.
PLAYING SOME AFTERNOON BALL!
While night games have become more of a norm in college football, Nevada will play three afternoon (pre-5 p.m. local) contests in 2022.
The Pack’s first two home contests at Mackay Stadium, Sept. 3 against Texas State and Sept 10 against Incarnate Word, will each kick off at 2:30 p.m. Nevada’s regular-season finale, Saturday, Nov. 26, at UNLV, is set for a 3 p.m. kick at Allegiant Stadium.
New Mexico State Notes
ALL-TIME RESULTS
Nevada leads the all-time series 14-2 winning each of the last four meetings
TOUGH TESTS AHEAD
The Aggies will square off with No. 18 Wisconsin on September 17 in Madison. The Aggies will also face off with six opponents who participated in a bowl game last season – Nevada (Quick Lane), Minnesota (Guaranteed Rate), UTEP (New Mexico), Wisconsin (Las Vegas), Missouri (Armed Forces), and Liberty (LendingTree).
DEJA VU
NM State has slain Nevada twice in the series history. Both times, the Aggies won 48-45 on the road in Reno. Both wins have also come within one day of each other on the calendar – October 11, 2008 and October 10, 1998.
NOTABLES: LAST GAME (UMass)
To close out the 2021 campaign, the Aggies took down UMass in an FBS Independents clash. Never trailing in the game, NM State closed the season on a high note, notching a 44-27 victory. Jonah Johnson had one of the best passing games in NM State history, throwing for 420 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Among returners, Terrell Warner, Justice Powers, PJ Johnson III, and Thomaz Whitford combined for 12 receptions. Whitford added the final Aggie touchdown of the season – A five-yard touchdown catch with 7:04 remaining. Defensively, Caleb Mills led the way with 10 tackles while Trevor Brohard and Chris Ojoh added seven apiece. Brohard recorded the only NM State sack of the day while Ojoh led the way with a team-high 2.0 tackles for a loss on the day. Following the game, head coach Doug Martin was relieved of his duties, making way for NM State’s new head coach, Jerry Kill.
THE LAST MEETING
Nevada and NM State met in Reno last season with the Wolf Pack running away with the contest, 55-28. Backed by a career-high six touchdown passes for Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, the Wolf Pack torched the Aggies through the air.
Of returning Aggies, Justice Powers led the way with 2 receptions for 59 yards while Terrell Warned hauled in six receptions. O’Maury Samuels added 18 yards of rushing on five carries. On defense, Trevor Brohard and Chris Ojoh led the team in tackles with eight and seven, respectively. Eric Marsh, Josh Ferguson, Devin Bell, and Lazarus Williams each added a sack for NM State.
