Pack celebrates Senior Night, hosts Fresno State Saturday

RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) -

Nevada (2-8, 0-6 MW) vs. Fresno State (6-4, 5-1 MW)

Saturday, Nov. 19 - 7:30 p.m.

Reno, Nev. - Mackay Stadium

TV: CBS Sports Network (PxP: Chris Lewis; Analyst: Robert Turbin)

Radio: ESPN 94.5 FM / The Varsity Network (PxP: John Ramey; Analyst: Mike Edwards)

RENO, Nev. - Nevada (2-8, 0-6 MW) closes its 2022 home campaign with Senior Night this Saturday against Fresno State. Saturday’s contest against the Bulldogs kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will be aired on CBS Sports Network, with Chris Lewis (play-by-play) and Robert Turbin (analyst) on the call. The Wolf Pack Radio Network will call the game as well on ESPN 94.5 FM with John Ramey (play-by-play) and Mike Edwards (analyst) in the booth, with the 60-minute pregame show to begin at 6:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday’s contest will be the 54th meeting all-time between Nevada and Fresno State. The Bulldogs lead the series, 30-23-1, while the teams are an even 13-13-1 when playing at Mackay Stadium. Last year, Nevada dropped a 34-32 decision in Fresno, when a late two-point conversion failed.

ABOUT FRESNO STATE

Fresno State (6-4, 5-1 MW) has won five-straight heading into Saturday’s contest, and the winning streak has coincided with the return of starting quarterback Jake Haener from an early-season injury. Haener has throw for 1,888 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, while Jordan Mims has run for 872 yards and 10 touchdowns.

SENIOR NIGHT SATURDAY

Nevada plans to honor its Senior Class prior to Saturday night’s game against Fresno State. While the full list of players to be honored is not finalized (due to available redshirt and COVID “bonus” years), the ceremony will be held pregame on the field.

SANDERS RECEIVING NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Nevada safety Bentlee Sanders, one of the seniors being honored Saturday night, has earned significant national recognition in recent weeks, for his outstanding play this season.

Oct. 18, Sanders was named to the Associated Press midseason All-America Team, grabbing one of the safety spots alongside Georgia’s Christopher Smith. This Monday (Oct. 24), Sanders was again honored, being named one of 12 semifinalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to college football’s top defensive back.

Sanders has been a one-man takeaway machine in 2022, having a hand in eight of Nevada’s 18 takeaways. He is one of eight players tied for second in the country with five interceptions, and is tied for third in the country with three forced fumbles.

TALTON BECOMES MOUNTAIN WEST CAREER FG LEADER

Senior kicker Brandon Talton set a major milestone with his 26-yard field goal on the final play of the first half Saturday against Boise State. The field goal was the 65th of Talton’s career, making him the Mountain West’s career leader, passing the mark of 64 set by Utah State’s Dominik Eberle (2015-19).

Talton, named to the 2022 Lou Groza Award preseason watch list in July, was 6-for-6 on field-goal attempts and 12-for-12 on PATs through four games this season before suffering an injury in practice the week leading up to Sept. 23′s game at Air Force. The injury forced him to miss the next five games before returning against Boise State.

Talton ranks third on Nevada’s career lists in field goals made, and third in kick scoring with 314 points.

Sept. 3 against Texas State, Talton’s fifth PAT of the game brought him to 300 career points, making him just the eighth player, and fourth kicker, in Nevada history to hit that mark.

TAUA HITS THE CENTURY MARK AGAINST BOISE (AGAIN)

Running back Toa Taua continued a strong final season at Nevada, hitting the century mark for the third time this season with his 103-yard effort Saturday against Boise State. It was Taua’s second 100-yard performance in three-career games against the Broncos, after he went for 124 yards in last year’s 41-31 win.

Toa and older brother Vai, Nevada’s current assistant head coach and a Wolf Pack running back from 2007-10, have each played thrice against Boise State and each recorded two 100-yard rushing games.

Taua is also working his way up the respective Top 10s of a few all-time Nevada categories with his performance this season.

Taua entered 2022 ranked in Nevada’s top 10 in career rushing yards, and currently sits seventh at 3,760 yards. His 809 career rushing attempts are fifth all-time, at Nevada, through Nov. 12. His 32 rushing touchdowns rank ninth in Nevada history.

DOM-INATING THE LINE

Senior DT Dom Peterson entered the 2022 season as one of the top defensive linemen in the Mountain West, and in the nation. Through the first 10 games of 2022, he is living up to that standard, already racking up 11.0 tackles-for-loss, 5.0 sacks, and three fumble recoveries. He currently sits second in tackles-for-loss and third in sacks on Nevada’s career lists.

WILLIAMS MAKES HIS MACKAY FAREWELL

Another Wolf Pack career man who plays his final game at Mackay this Saturday night is nickel Tyson Williams. Williams, an All-Mountain West Honorable Mention in 2020, is second on the Pack in tackles this season with 58 (40 solo), with an interception, two forced fumbles, and 5.5 tackles-for-loss. Heading into Saturday’s game against Fresno State, Williams is Nevada’s active career leader in tackles (277), interceptions (seven), and passes defended (17).

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