Red's four touchdowns led Nevada to a 42-37 upset over Oregon State

The Nevada football team (3-4, 0-1) defeated the Oregon State Beavers (4-2, 0-0) on Saturday night, outscoring the Beavers 42-37, thanks in large part to the running back's four touchdowns To Savion Red's credit was his career-high 137 rushing yard performance.

“(It was) a really good college football game,” Nevada head coach Jeff Choate said in a postgame press conference. “The locker room is a lot of fun. These kids continue to believe and do the things we ask them to do, and I think that was an important win for our program because you have to have that payday somewhere.”

Nevada and Oregon State struggled in the first quarter. Oregon State opened with the ball and secured quick first downs in the first three minutes to gain a foothold deep in Nevada territory. After Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson got the Beavers to the Nevada three-yard line, running back Jake Reichle hit the first touchdown of the game for Oregon State.

Despite the early lapses on defense, the Wolf Pack responded on offense. Nevada accelerated on every single play of their first possession, scoring on a 33-yard run by Red.

Oregon State marched down the field again on its next possession. However, after two consecutive calls against the Beavers, Nevada defensive back Tori Daffin intercepted Oregon State quarterback Gevani McCoy in the end zone. The Wolf Pack took advantage as Red rushed for his second touchdown of the night in the second quarter, this time from five yards out.

“Savion had some good games, but he didn’t play through losses a lot,” Choate said. “I talked to him about it: 'Hey, we need to get you in good shape.' You have to go.' And even on the sideline (today) he was like the coach reminding me, 'Hey coach, you need to make the most of your time out here.' He was as engaged as I've ever been in a game and I thought that was a real one Step in the right direction.”

The Beavers took the lead for the remainder of the half, scoring a field goal after being held up again by Nevada's defense and a last-minute rushing touchdown by Hankerson in one minute and 42 seconds. Nevada tried to score between Oregon State's possessions but failed to convert a fourth-and-16 trick play at the Beavers' 42-yard line.

After one half, Oregon State led 17-14.

Nevada came out of the gates slowly, scoring a three-pointer on the first possession of the second half. Oregon State capitalized on the momentum when Hankerson scored his second rushing touchdown of the game after the Beavers carried him down the field on consecutive receptions from tight end Trent Walker.

The Wolfpack needed a spark to get back to 10 points, which they found on offense in both Lewis and Red. Both players had deep rushes that took the Pack to the Oregon State 12-yard line. From there, Red was able to rush for his third touchdown of the night after breaking several tackles.

“I mean, he's just a dog,” Lewis said of Red. “He just runs so hard. I just love giving him the ball, which makes my job easier. Seeing him run so hard makes me want to go out there and make some plays too. Everyone just fed off their energy and their passion. He was crazy all night.”

Nevada kept its foot on the gas when defensive lineman Michael Coats Jr. fended off McCoy at the Wolf Pack's 31-yard line, which Nevada turned into another Reds touchdown. Nevada's defense continued to dominate as defensive lineman Kitan Crawford himself intercepted and returned the ball 52 yards for the first pick-six of his college career.

Despite all the momentum going toward the Wolfpack, Oregon State didn't back down. On their next possession, a facemask call on Nevada linebacker Drue Watts got the Beavers to midfield, where they marched downfield and set up Hankerson for his third rushing touchdown of the night. The Beavers went for a two-point conversion but failed to score against the Nevada secondary.

“We played to our standard,” said Coats Jr. “But we have to do it over and over again every week. We have to move on. We were behind in the takeaway battle and tonight we gave ourselves confidence throughout conference play.”

On the ensuing kickoff, Oregon State lined up for a regulation free kick but settled for an offside kick, confusing the Wolf Pack's kickoff unit and getting the ball back late. However, Nevada's defense held McCoy and Oregon State's offense to a three-pointer just before midfield and forced a punt.

During Nevada's second-to-last possession, quarterback Chubba Purdy started the Wolf Pack with an 18-yard rush. On the following play, Lewis broke free for a 67-yard touchdown that would ultimately clinch the victory. Oregon State actually threatened a comeback, scoring a touchdown from Walker to get within five and holding Nevada to a three-and-out on their final possession. However, after marching down the field one more time, McCoy was picked off for the fourth time as Coats Jr. made his second interception of the game in the end zone on the final play of the game.

“I was really thinking about knocking it down, but I saw it in the air so I had to grab it,” said Coats Jr. “My head was like, 'Take it, knock it down.' But I had to be a playmaker and get it done.”

With their third win of the season, the most wins in a season since 2021, the Wolf Pack (3-4, 1-1) prepares for their home game against the Fresno State Bulldogs (3-3, 1-1) on April 18th. October at 7:30 p.m

“It's important to always celebrate our victories, but we just need to focus on our next opponent,” Crawford said. “They are a good team and we just have to do the same thing we did today. Just benefit from not making mistakes and just being ourselves.”

Check out our coverage of Nevada's win over Oregon State below.