Pack falls late at No. 22 San Diego State

[NEVADA ATHLETICS RELEASE]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Greg Bell had 16 carries for 104 yards and Matt Araiza kicked a 35-yard field goal with 1:21 to play to help No. 22 San Diego State beat Nevada 23-21 on Saturday night.

San Diego State (9-1, 5-1 Mountain West) took sole possession of first place in the West Division, a half-game ahead of Fresno State — which beat the Aztecs 30-20 on Oct. 30 — and a full game in front of Nevada.

Araiza — who kicked field goals of 48 yards in the second quarter and 39 yards early in the fourth — bent the winner inside the upright to cap a 12-play, 53-yard drive. He also had five punts for 278 yards (55.6 yards per punt) and lead the FBS this season with 50 punts of 50-plus yards and 15 punts of 60 yards or more.

Carson Strong completed 34 of 48 passes for 350 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He hit Romeo Doubs for a 5-yard touchdown late in the third quarter and pair connected on a play-action pass for a 54-yard TD that made it 21-20 with 9:57 to play and give Nevada (7-3, 4-2) its first lead.

Doubs finished with nine receptions for 127 yards.

• Nevada falls to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference with a 23-21 loss at San Diego State on Saturday. The Wolf Pack has lost its last two road games by a combined four points. The Aztecs move to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play with the win. 

• QB Carson Strong threw for 350 yards on 34 of 48 passing with three touchdowns. It marked the 16th 300-plus yard game of his career. It is the 8th time this season that Strong has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game.

• Strong has now thrown 66-career touchdowns which is fourth all-time. He is seven touchdowns behind David Neill for third (73) in Nevada football history.

• WR Romeo Doubs made nine catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns to lead all Wolf Pack receivers. Doubs recorded the second-most receiving yards in a game this season and caught two touchdowns for the first time in a game this year.

• Doubs is now 6th all-time in receiving yards with 3,066 surpassing Tony Logan (8th; 2922), Jeff Wright (7th; 3034), and Brandon Wimberly (6th; 3049) during tonight’s game. Doubs also tied for 6th in Nevada football history with 22 receiving touchdowns. He is tied with Bryan Calder, Nate Burleson, and Marko Mitchell. He leads all Wolf Pack pass-catchers with 853 yards and is second with seven touchdown receptions.

• PK Brandon Talton did not attempt a field goal in tonight’s game. It marks the second game this season that Talton did not attempt a field goal (1st; Idaho State, 9/11).

• The Wolf Pack gained 350 yards through the air with WR Tory Horton making eight catches for 91 yards and one touchdown; WR Melquan Stovall making five catches for 48 yards; RB Toa Taua reeling in five passes for 35 yards; WR Justin Lockhart posting four receptions for 31 yards; and RB Devonte Lee notching three catches for 18 yards.

• The Pack posted eight rushing yards for its lowest output of yards on the ground during a game this season. Previous low was 21 yards in a win against UNLV (10/29).

• It is the first time in two games that the Nevada defense did not force a turnover. The Wolf Pack managed one sack and have recorded 1.0 sack in the last two games.

• San Diego State outgained Nevada 362 to 358 with 186 yards coming on the ground and 176 yards passing. Nevada falls to 2-2 when an opponent leads in total yards.

• Nevada punted seven times which is a season high. P Julian Diaz averaged 44.3 yards per punt. Diaz kicked a long of 51 yards with one inside the 20 yard line and two over 50-plus yards.
• DB Jordan Lee led all defensive players in tackles with eight. DB Tyson Williams was second with seven total tackles including two tackles for loss. DB JoJo Claiborne also recorded seven tackles, as did LB Daiyan Henley.

• Henley leads the team with 82.0 tackles and entered tonight’s game 43rd in the nation in tackles.