EL PASO (Interstat) — Nevada leaned on a punishing running game and a timely passing touchdown to defeat UTEP 30-13 on Saturday at the Sun Bowl. The Wolf Pack improved to 2-3 this season, while the Miners dropped to 1-5. A crowd of 13,927 watched Nevada, the visiting team, control much of the game after an early exchange of scoring drives. The NCAA Football Bowl Division contest turned on Nevada’s ability to finish drives and limit UTEP’s offense in key moments.

Nevada opened the scoring in the first quarter when Carter Jones found Dominic Kelley on a short pass to the right. Kelley caught the ball at the UTEP 23 and went 21 yards to the end zone with 6:15 remaining. The previous play was reviewed to determine whether the runner broke the plane, and the call was upheld. Joe McFadden’s extra point made it 7-0. McFadden added a 33-yard field goal with 10:10 left in the second quarter, extending the Nevada lead. UTEP answered at 3:29 of the second when Raymond Moore III connected with Jaden Smith on a short left pass. Smith caught the ball at the Nevada 3 and completed a 16-yard touchdown. Carlos Arreola’s kick cut the deficit. McFadden then made a 26-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining in the second quarter, sending Nevada into halftime with a 13-7 lead.

In the third quarter, McFadden converted a 45-yard field goal with 9:06 remaining to push the Nevada advantage. The Wolf Pack added an explosive play later in the quarter when Herschel Turner rushed left for 72 yards and a touchdown with 42 seconds left. McFadden’s kick followed. Nevada put the game further out of reach in the fourth quarter when Dominic Kelley rushed left for 6 yards and a touchdown with 3:54 remaining. McFadden again made the extra point. UTEP did not score again until the final minutes, when Moore found Cash Cheeks for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:07 remaining. Moore’s pass attempt on the two-point conversion failed, and the Miners could not close the gap further.

Nevada scored 30 points on three touchdowns and three field goals. Nevada’s offense finished with balance and big plays. Carter Jones completed 11 of 19 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown. AJ Bianco completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards and added two rushes for 5 yards. Herschel Turner powered the ground attack with 19 carries for 192 yards and one touchdown. Dominic Kelley ran 22 times for 99 yards and a touchdown, and he also caught one pass for 21 yards and another touchdown. Donnie Cheers had one rush for 4 yards. Gary Givens III caught five passes for 46 yards. Damien Morgan caught five passes for 19 yards. Trace Estes had one reception for 13 yards, and DJ Asiasi added one catch for 3 yards. Nevada’s team punt traveled 45 yards.

UTEP scored 13 points on two passing touchdowns, with one extra point and one failed two-point attempt. UTEP’s offense was led by Raymond Moore III, who completed 16 of 26 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 15 times for 65 yards. Jaden Smith caught four passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. Cash Cheeks had two receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown. Kam Thomas caught six passes for 32 yards and returned one punt for 1 yard. Carver Cheeks added three receptions for 11 yards. Nik Henry caught one pass for 2 yards and returned three kickoffs for 59 yards. Tavorus Jones rushed four times for 3 yards. Chris Hunter had one rush for 2 yards, and Jaden Moore added one rush for 4 yards. Brady Braun punted nine times for 355 yards. Carlos Arreola handled kicking duties for the Miners.

The defensive effort for UTEP was led by Isaiah Bogerty, who recorded 15 tackles. Kode Lowe finished with 14 tackles, and Jayden Wilson added 12. Garrett Hawkins made nine tackles and one quarterback hurry. Elijah Fields and Esteban Guillory each had five tackles. Justin Content recorded four tackles. Leander Parrish had three tackles and one sack. Sterling Miles contributed two tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Decorian Thompson, Xavier Smith, Ashton Coker and Kaleb Miles each had three tackles. Shakaun Bowser, Donavan Howard, Oryend Fisher, Darnell Williams and Derek Burns each had one tackle. Dycin Davis, LaTristan Thompson and Carlos Arreola were also listed among UTEP’s participants.

Nevada’s defense was paced by Joshua Scott, who had eight tackles and half a sack. Isaiah Jordan added seven tackles. Aiden Walker made six tackles and one sack. Jeremy Naborne-Owens and EJ Smith each had four tackles, with Naborne-Owens adding a quarterback hurry and Smith recording a sack. Larry Turner-Gooden had three tackles. Dylan LaBarbera finished with three tackles and two quarterback hurries. Poasa Utu added two tackles. The Wolf Pack defense limited UTEP’s offense for much of the game and prevented the Miners from sustaining consistent drives after their second-quarter touchdown.

Nevada entered the game after a loss to Air Force and had also dropped games to Middle Tennessee and Montana State while defeating Western Kentucky earlier this season. The win moved the Wolf Pack to 2-3. UTEP entered after a loss to New Mexico and had previously fallen to Oregon State, Michigan and Oklahoma while beating Texas Southern. The Miners fell to 1-5 with the home defeat. Nevada is scheduled to visit North Dakota State next, while UTEP is set to host San Jose State. The result moved both teams into their next scheduled matchups.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of UTEP 36, Nevada 32 before the game. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Nevada with a 53 percent probability to win. UTEP had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -10. The total score of 43 and the over/under line of 47.5 were part of the pregame numbers.