With the win over San Jose State, Nevada improved to 4-7 overall and 3-5 in MW play … The program’s all-time record moved to 521-453-34 … Brian Polian is now 4-7 as a head coach.
STARTERS
Junior Brock Hekking played but did not start, which snapped his consecutive start streak at 23 games. That was tied for the second-longest streak on the team (Jordan Hanson), behind Joel Bitonio, who started his 37th game of the year.
Alex Bertrando returned to the starting lineup at the SAM linebacker as Jonathan McNeal started at MIKE linebacker for Jordan Dobrich, who did not play.
MILESTONES
Cody Fajardo moved past Stefphon Jefferson (2,338 from 2010-2012) in career rushing yards. He entered the game with 2,313 yards.
Fajardo moved past Eric Beavers (9,028 from 1983-86) in career total offense. He entered the game with 9,009.
Fajardo’s third-quarter rushing touchdown was the 30th of his career. That ties him for eighth all-time at Nevada in career rushing touchdowns with Stefphon Jefferson.
Jerico Richardson’s 39-yard kick return in the first half was the longest of his career and the longest of the season for Nevada.
Brock Hekking’s two second half sacks gave him 9.0 for the season (8th in single-season history at Nevada) and his 17.0 of his career (6th in Nevada history).
Joe Huber’s 22-yard punt return in the third quarter marked the longest return of his career. He entered the game with 43 punt return yards and had 39 on Saturday.
WIMBERLY PASSES BURLESON, LOGAN
Nevada senior wideout Brandon Wimberly caught 11 passes for 93 yards on the night and climbed a few of Nevada’s career charts with the performance.
He entered the game with 240 career catches and moved past Nate Burleson, the Pack Hall of Famer who caught 248 passes from 2000-02.
Wimberly entered the game with 2,839 career receiving yards. He moved past Tony Logan, who has 2,922 yards from 1985-88.
WIM STREAK
Brandon Wimberly caught a 19-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick against Notre Dame on Sept. 5, 2009 for his first collegiate reception in his first career game for the Wolf Pack.
And he’s caught a pass in every game he has played in since, a stretch of 51 straight games with a reception that is the longest in the nation by seven games (San Jose State’s Noel Grigsby is at 36 straight and on hold).
He extended the streak against San Jose State with a catch in the first quarter. He finished the game with 11 catches for 93 yards.
The streak would be the Mountain West record but the league only recognizes games played by Wimberly with Nevada as a member of the MW (Wimberly’s first two seasons came with Nevada in the WAC). The Mountain West record for consecutive games with a reception is 47, held by UNLV’s Casey Flair and Wyoming’s Jovon Bouknight.
Wimberly missed all of the 2011 season due to injury but his (first) senior season in 2012 saw a remarkable comeback from the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder. Wimberly led Nevada in catches (70) and yards (845) and was second (behind current New England Patriots TE Zach Sudfeld) in touchdowns (4). Wimberly received a medical hardship from the NCAA in the offseason to return for a sixth season.
The NCAA record is 54 games by Bryan Anderson of Central Michigan (2006-09).
DEFENSE STEPS UP
Linebackers Jonathan McNeal and Matthew Lyons each set season and career highs in tackles on Saturday with 15 stops each.
The Pack racked up five sacks and 11 tackles for loss on the night, both representing season highs.
Brock Hekking had a pair of sacks and McNeal, Lenny Jones and Dupree Roberts-Jordan each had one.
RUNNING WILD
Nevada ran for a season high 311 yards on 51 carries – a clip of 6.1 yards per carry. Cody Fajardo topped the 100-yard mark (second time this year, eighth time in his career) with 104 yards on 14 carries. Kendall Brock had 85 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and sophomore Don Jackson had a career-high 80 yards on just 11 carries, including a 39-yard TD run.
EXTRA POINTS
Nevada won the toss and elected to receive and Nevada defended the North … Joel Bitonio started his 37th consecutive game (longest streak on the team) and Brandon Wimberly started his 48th game (most overall on the team) … Linebacker Matthew Lyons set a career high with 12 tackles, eclipsing previous high of 11, which he has done twice … Nevada pitched a shutout in the second half … The Wolf Pack’s 21 points in the first half were the most for the team this year …
