As we pointed out before Saturday’s Nevada-Penn State game, the Wolf Pack football team had played 13 “buy games” since 2007, losing those 13 by an average score of 47-11. So, it comes as no surprise that Nevada lost to Penn State, 46-11, almost identical in score to its previous “buy games.” That doesn’t mean we can’t take insights from the loss as Penn State, ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time of the game, should end up being one of the more difficult opponents Nevada has ever faced, with the Nittany Lions turning to its backups before the end of the third quarter. Here are some observations from Saturday’s contest.
1. More discipline was evident
Discipline has been the biggest buzz word entering the season for Nevada, which last year was one of the FBS’ most penalized teams. That wasn’t the case against Penn State, a team that is superior athletically than Nevada, which typically leads to mistakes. But Nevada was penalized only three times for 14 yards against the Nittany Lions, which if repeated throughout the rest of the season will be a good thing. Penn State was flagged five times for 45 yards. The Wolf Pack’s three penalties were a pair of false starts and a defensive offsides. Nevada also had an offensive pass interference and holding declined, so the penalty total could have been higher but was not a major issue in this game.
2. Turnovers were brutal
While the Wolf Pack played a clean game in terms of penalties, it did not in terms of turnovers. Nevada started the game with the ball and went on a perfect clock-sucking drive to move into Penn State territory. But backup running back Ky Woods fumbled after a hit by Dani Dennis-Sutton to give the ball over to the Nittany Lions. After a Penn State touchdown, Chubba Purdy threw an interception off a broken screen play on Nevada’s first play of its next series to give the ball over inside its 10-yard line. And the game was basically over at that point. Dennis-Sutton forced another fumble, this one on Herschel Turner Jr., later in the game as Nevada lost the turnover battle, 3-0. Coach Jeff Choate wasn’t pleased with the fumbles. “If they fumble, they can’t play,” Choate said on Wolf Pack All Access. “Period. If that means we don’t play with any running backs, that’s what it means. That’s how frustrated I am about that.”
3. Run defense was awesome
The most impressive thing about the game for Nevada was its run defense, which held an elite rushing attack to just 135 yards on 36 carries, or 3.8 yards per carry. The Nittany Lions scored four touchdowns on the ground, but elite backs Kaytron Allen (43 yards on eight carries) and Nicholas Singleton (19 yards on eight carries) were both held in check. That’s a good sign as run defense was not a strength for the Wolf Pack last season. If Nevada’s front plays run defense like it did against Penn State, the Wolf Pack should have a lot of success. The pass defense wasn’t nearly as good (303 yards allowed on 35 passing attempts), but things were stout up front and there was only one noticeable defensive bust in the game (on a pass play).
4. Run offense was not awesome
This one was predictable since Penn State has preseason All-American defensive tackle in Zane Durant and a defensive end in Dennis-Sutton who played like a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick. Nevada was going to have a hard time running the ball, and it did with just 78 yards on 31 carries. Of those, 55 came from Purdy and another 12 from his backup, AJ Bianco. That means the Wolf Pack’s running backs ran for 11 yards on 16 carries. Turner, the team’s starting running back, ran for minus-15 yards on eight carries. The Wolf Pack’s task in running the ball will get much easier moving forward, but that’s an area to track after Dennis-Sutton dismantled Nevada’s offensive line.
5. Chubba Purdy showed some things
Fun Fact: Purdy is one of four FBS quarterbacks in 2025 to start at least one game in five seasons, joining Kansas’ Jalon Daniels, Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen and Middle Tennessee’s Nicholas Vattiato. He’ll get more runway this season than he has previously in his career. Purdy showed his running ability with those 55 rushing yards on 14 carries, which is only 3.9 yards per rush, but his legs are going to be really valuable on third down, which they were versus Penn State. The passing game was vanilla with Purdy completing just 7-of-15 passes for 97 yards and an interception. That remains the big question mark on Purdy moving forward. But his running ability is reminiscent of ex-Nevada star Cody Fajardo. Purdy looked like an elite athlete on a field with many elite athletes. I got some feedback from fans saying Bianco looked better. But Dennis-Sutton was out of the game by that point and Bianco actually had a pocket to pass from. This isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison.
6. Two standouts on defense
Nevada’s top defensive standouts were end Dylan Labarbera, who had seven tackles, including two for loss, and safety Murvin Kenion III, who tied for team-high honors with eight stops (Stone Combs also had eight, including one for loss). Labarbera is an animal on the field with his endless motor and gave Penn State’s good offensive line some trouble. We pinpointed him as a potential breakout candidate before the year began, and his first impression in 2025 was a positive one. Kenion was all over the field as well. He’s replacing NFL draft pick Kitan Crawford on Nevada’s defense, which won’t be easy. But it looks like he’s up to the task.
Early Sacramento State preview
There were plenty of positives to take away from this game as Nevada’s defense bowed up and forced some field-goal attempts despite being put in a few bad positions. Purdy’s legs also were a big positive. Still, it’s a 46-11 loss with Nevada’s touchdown coming with 25 seconds left against Penn State’s second and third string. So, you would hope the Wolf Pack isn’t overconfident entering this weekend’s game against FCS school Sacramento State, which lost to South Dakota State, 20-3, in its season opener. The Hornets are led by first-year head coach Brennan Marion, who was on Texas’ staff along with Choate in 2022 before serving as UNLV’s offensive coordinator the last two seasons, helping the Rebels score back-to-back lopsided wins over Nevada. His Sac State team has plenty of FBS-level talent, including Nevada transfers RB Savion Red and DE Kris Ross, both ex-Texas players. The Wolf Pack can’t take this game for granted; a loss here would be devastating. Nevada is a 13.5-point favorite in its home opener Saturday at Mackay Stadium.
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.
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