So much for winning ugly.
In Jay Norvell’s return to his old Reno stomping grounds, his CSU Rams left no doubt, beating Nevada 38-21 on Saturday night to clinch bowl eligibility for the first time in seven years and remain unbeaten in Mountain West Conference play.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence. We keep getting better,” Norvell said after the game on the CBS Sports Network broadcast. “… I think we’ve got a lot left in this team and we just want to keep playing one week at a time.”
The Rams (6-3, 4-0 Mountain West) put together a decent highlight reel clinching their first bowl bid since 2017.
Dane Olson laid out for a 41-yard reception to set up the Rams’ first touchdown on their opening drive of the game. Kicker Jordan Noyes drilled a 60-yard field goal that’s the second-longest in program history. The defense made a goal-line stand as part of a first-half shutout. And special teams produced an improbable touchdown, forcing a fumble on Nevada’s goal line after the Wolf Pack mishandled a kickoff that Jace Bellah recovered in the end zone.
Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi even pinned the Wolf Pack inside their own 10 with a pooch punt in the third quarter.
Of course, the latter preceded a 12-play, 95-yard march punctuated by Nevada QB Brendon Lewis’ second 3-yard touchdown run — a score that pulled Nevada back within 28-14 with 12:16 to go after CSU had taken a 28-0 lead.
But unlike the Rams’ recent wins, CSU immediately answered with a touchdown march of its own, with Avery Morrow’s 15-yard scoring run essentially putting the game away at 35-14 with 8:42 left.
CSU totaled 170 yards on the ground. Morrow led the Rams with 77 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while Justin Marshall had 67 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Marshall’s scoring run gave the Rams a 14-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter, and Noyes’ 60-yard boot put them ahead 17-0 at the break. The 32-year-old kicker added two more field goals from 21 and 35 yards in the second half to help weather Nevada’s last-ditch rally.
Fowler-Nicolosi completed 9 of 15 passes for 157 yards.
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