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Nevada vs. Fresno State: Keys For A Wolf Pack Upset
Can the Wolf Pack offense stun the Bulldogs defense?
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A big test for Nevada football
In what will be the 50th all-time meeting between the Nevada Wolf Pack (3-2) and the Fresno State Bulldogs (3-1), Fresno State could have a huge advantage as Nevada’s Senior quarterback, Ty Gangi, is likely to be ruled out due to a leg injury from last weeks game vs. Air Force. If Gangi is unavailable, the QB role will likely fall on junior Cristian Solano’s shoulders who hasn’t started a game since high school.
Games between these two programs have a reputation of not being very close. Only one of the last six meetings has ended in less than a two-touchdown margin. Nevada has taken two of the last three, though with Gangi likely out, it could be a bit of a stretch to make it three of four. ESPN agrees by giving Fresno State a 87.4% chance of taking the W in their matchup predictor.
With Solano as the probable starter, Nevada is more than likely going to rely much more heavily on the running game which may not be easy against a defense that has only allowed 3.3 yards per carry this season. Toa Taua and Kelton Moore should have several more attempts than any other game thus far and quite possibly against the toughest run defense they’ve seen in 2018.
Fresno State is coming off of a big 49-27 victory vs. Toledo last week who recently traveled to Mackey Stadium and beat the Wolf Pack. Fresno State’s Senior QB, Marcus McMaryion, had a huge performance passing for 368 yards on 24 completions to 10 different receivers.
McMaryion threw for four touchdowns and also ran for one. Star receiver KeeSean Johnson had six receptions for 102 yards and two TD’s on the day, though it was running back Jordan Mims with the most receiving yards at 126 on six catches. These could be some scary numbers for a Nevada defense that tends to give up big plays.