RENO -- Colin Kaepernick was too much for Idaho to handle Saturday afternoon and the result was a 70-45 loss to the Wolf Pack in a Western Athletic Conference game that dropped the Vandals to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
“We needed as a defense to take care of No. 10,” said Idaho Robb Akey of the key against Nevada and Kaepernick. “We made him look like a Heisman Trophy winner out there today. He out played us.”
Kaepernick threw for 178 of Nevada’s 662 yards and ran for another 230. He scored four rushing touchdowns and threw for another two.
“We told the team before the game, if we play well, we will win the ballgame,” Akey said. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t take care of No. 10.”
Idaho had its own highlights but even two 73-yard receptions by Maurice Shaw, a 59-yard rushing TD by Deonte Jackson, a 54-yard field goal by Trey Farquhar, a career-high four throwing TDs and three TD receptions by Max Komar weren’t enough.
Nevada struck early offensively and defensively. Idaho quarterback Nate Enderle was sacked four times in the first two series and the Wolf Pack continued its big-play ways in racing to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Nevada made the most of a short-field opportunity to score on its first possession on Kaepernicks’ 11-yard run to go up 7-0 with 9:27 left in the first.
Bobby Cowan’s next punt pinned the Wolf Pack at its 11 but Kaepernick handed off to Vai Taua, who broke loose for an 89-yard touchdown. The point-after kick gave the Wolf Pack a 14-0 lead with 4:42 to play in the opening quarter.
Idaho stalled again and Cowan was called on for the third time in the opening quarter and this time Nevada was backed up to its 3. It wasn’t until the second quarter was under way that Nevada picked up its third TD but it did when Kaepernick loped 61 yards to score with 13:36 left before halftime.
Trailing 21-0 with only slightly more than 16 minutes expired, the Vandals went to work offensively and defensively.
It started with Maurice Shaw pulling in an Enderle pass and going the distance to score on a 73-yard pass play with 12:47 left before the half to cut the Wolf Pack lead to 21-7.
A defensive stand returned the ball to the Vandals after a good-bounce punt gave them the ball at their own 41. It was time for another big play – this time with Deonte Jackson cracking the line and racing 59 yards to score with 11:15 left in the second. Farquhar’s second PAT was good as the Vandals closed to 21-14.
Nevada’s next possession was a clock-eating, 90-yard drive that wound up with a fourth-down-and-one and the ball going to Taua, who pushed through for the score and a 28-14 Nevada lead with 4:12 remaining in the first half.
Idaho came back with another Enderle-to-Shaw hookup – again for 73 yards. Enderle hit Shaw in stride a half step behind the defender. Shaw juggled the ball before securing it and racing the rest of the way for the score that cut the Wolf Pack lead to 28-21 with 3:06 to go in the second quarter.
The Vandals benefited from a 12-yard Wolf Pack punt and Farquhar’s leg when, after stalling on the Nevada 37, he booted a career-high 54-yard field goal with 35 seconds before the half. The kick narrowed the gap to 28-24 at the half.
Kaepernick continued to be a menace as the second half unfolded with scoring runs of 35 and 75 yards on Nevada’s first two possessions of the second half as the Wolf Pack stretched its lead to 42-24 before Idaho responded with a nine-yard pass from Enderle to Komar. The completion with 6:11 left in the third quarter cut Nevada’s lead to 42-31.
The Wolf Pack upped its lead to 49-31 with a 75-yard, nine play drive with Chris Wellington scoring on a reverse with 1:52 left in the third.
The footrace continued with the Vandals going 80 yards in three plays and using only 64 seconds as Komar went into the end zone with a 20-yard pass from Enderle. Farquhar’s kick made it 49-38 with :48 to play in the third.
Max Komar scored his third TD of the game and the last for Idaho with 2:55 to play but it was too late for the Vandals who still trailed 70-45 after that 14-yarder.
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