WAC Football & Basketball blog

Instead of Nevada’s potent offense rolling over New Mexico, it was the other way around, as New Mexico QB Donovan Porterie threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns, and backup running back Paul Baker ran for 166 yards to lead New Mexico over Nevada 23-0 this afternoon in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.

While New Mexico’s huge offensive numbers were a key reason for their win, it was the effort of their defense in completely shutting down Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick and Luke Lippincott, the WAC’s leading rusher.

Kaepernick, one of the most efficient QBs in the country this season, was held to 13 of 31 passing for 137 yards, and ran for only 33 yards on 11 carries, while Lippincott was held to 28 yards on 10 carries.

Porterie’s big game was his first 300-yard performance since throwing for 327 yards in a 29-27 win over Arizona, but even bigger than his numbers was the contributions of Baker, who filled in more than admirably for Rodney Ferguson, who missed the bowl game due to being academically ineligible.

One bright spot for the Wolf Pack was blocking two John Sullivan field goals, as one of the most accurate kickers in the country had an up and down day, making three and missing three.

The long day started for Nevada when Porterie found leading receiver Marcus Smith for a 66-yard touchdown only three plays into the game.

The lead was extended to 14-0 late in the first quarter when Porterie threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Travis Brown, and went to 17-0 in the second quarter on Sullivan’s 53-yard field goal.

Sullivan added a 45-yarder later in the second to make it 20-0, and finished the scoring off in the second half with a 37-yard field goal.

Nevada’s best chances to score came in the second quarter, when the Wolf Pack had the ball inside the New Mexico 35, but Kaepernick was sacked on 3rd and 4, and then he came up a yard short on a 4th down run. Then, later in the quarter, the Wolf Pack drove inside the New Mexico 35 again, but a fumble handed the ball right back to the Lobos, and after that, Nevada couldn’t create anymore real opportunities to get on the scoreboard.

Not only was its New Mexico’s first bowl victory since 1961, but it was also the first time that Nevada has been shut out since 1980.

New Mexico finishes their season 9-4, while Nevada finishes 6-7, but with Kaepernick, Lippincott, and their two leading receivers returning next year, the Wolf Pack should find themselves in the postseason once again next season.

The New Mexico Bowl gets underway shortly, with 8-4 New Mexico going up against 6-6 Nevada. It’ll be interesting to see how New Mexico plays without star running back Rodney Ferguson, who won’t be playing today after being ruled academically ineligible this week.

It’s a signficant blow to New Mexico’s offense and puts a lot of pressure on the Lobos’ defense to slow down Colin Kaepernick and Luke Lippincott.

The game certainly favors Nevada if it gets into a shootout, but the Wolf Pack defense have their own task in handling New Mexico QB Donovan Porterie, who threw for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns in a win over Arizona earlier this season.

Tomorrow, Boise St. takes on East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl, in a matchup of two of the nation’s top rushers, both named Johnson (Boise’s Ian, East Carolina’s Chris).