Nevada Wolf Pack Defeats Colorado State Rams with A Little Over 1-Minute Left in the 2015 Arizona Bowl

December 29, 2015—Tuesday, the Nevada Wolf Pack took an unexpected win over the Colorado State Rams with just minutes left on the clock at the 2015 Arizona Bowl. After securing their victory at 28-23, they held their second straight plus -.500 season and their first Arizona Bowl win since 2011.

The Rams held the lead until the last 1:06 seconds of the game. Their road to victory was stopped at the 13-yard line as the clock ran out as they were getting ready for a comeback drive but could not get the spike off.

After going 76 yards in 8 plays and 58 seconds, the Rams were hit by the clock as wide receiver Jordan Vaden tried to drive up the field instead of going out of bounds. This allowed Nevada running back James Butler to swoop in to score the game-winning touchdown just 4 yards out with 1:06 seconds left to play. It is said to have been his best ball game of the season as he finished with 189 yards on 24 carries, landing two scores in his 8^th game.

This win allowed Nevada to finish the season 7-6 for the second year in a row. They secured their fifth bowl game in program history, which has included 15 appearances.

Their win comes with a gut-wrenching loss for Colorado, who had won their last 5 games. The game could have turned out much differently had Vaden went to the side lines instead of making the drive.

Although Ram fans left the stands in upset, those for Nevada State boasted with excitement after their late deficit to defeat.

Statistics NEV:

• First Downs: 18
• Total Offense, Plays-Yards: 53-345
• Rushes-Yards: 40-271
• Passing Yards: 74
• Passes, Comp-Att-Int: 6-13-0
• Time of Possession: 27:30

Statistics CSU:

• First Downs: 30
• Total Offense, Plays-Yards: 84-532
• Rushes-Yards: 42-222
• Passing Yards: 310
• Passes, Comp-Att-Int: 22-42-1
• Time of Possession: 32:30