Carson Strong Shines as Nevada Beats Tulane in 2020 Idaho Potato Bowl
Dec 22, 2020
Nevada quarterback Carson Strong (12) plays against San Jose State during an NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Nevada head coach Jay Norvell had to watch Ohio head coach Frank Solich land on the receiving end of a french fry bath when his team fell on the losing side of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last season, but it was his turn to celebrate after the Wolf Pack defeated Tulane 38-27 on Tuesday.
Quarterback Carson Strong, a redshirt sophomore, didn't waste any time in showing up against Tulane. He completed three first-half touchdown passes to help give the Wolf Pack a 26-7 lead at the break.
Tulane staged a third-quarter comeback, scoring 13 points, but it was too late for the Green Wave, who struggled from the start without multiple top players. The team traveled to Boise without Patrick Johnson, who is the school's all-time leader in sacks and an American Athletic Conference first-teamer, after he attended the funeral of his father last week.
On offense, leading receiver Duece Watts did not play.
Tulane found its first points on a 41-yard pass from Michael Pratt to Jha'Quan Jackson. But just as quickly as Tulane got itself back in play, Toa Taua found the end zone with a 50-yard run on fourth down for his second score of the game.
Pratt couldn't get out of his own way for the rest of the first half, tossing his second interception of the day to end what had been Tulane's best drive of the game. Before the pick, which came with 3:29 left to play in the half, the Green Wave offense traveled 69 yards and ate 4:15 off the clock.
The second half, however, presented a turnaround. Pratt redeemed himself with a six-yard rush that cut Nevada's lead in half at the start of the third quarter.
Needless to say this first half wasn't super swell for Tulane. Down 26-7 at halftime to Nevada.
Jackson scored again to help diminish the lead to just six, but Pratt, after throwing three interceptions compared to five all season, couldn't bring the Green Wave back for the victory as a 12-point fourth for Nevada sealed the deal.
Notable Performers
Carson Strong, QB, Nevada: 22-of-28 passing, 271 yards, five TDs
Toa Taua, RB, Nevada: 20 carries, 102 yards, TD; six receptions, 77 yards, TD
Jha'Quan Jackson, WR, Tulane: two receptions, 69 yards, two TDs
Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane: 168 passing yards (12-of-25, two TDs, three INTs), 25 rushing yards (18 carries, TD)
Carson's Strong Season
Strong led the Mountain West Conference with 2,587 yards and 22 touchdown passes during the regular season, topping a redshirt freshman campaign where he started in 10 games and threw for 2,335 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 63.4 completion percentage.
His last outing in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was also strong, when he threw for 402 yards with 31 completions, which were school bowl game records. That career-best stat line was a sign of things to come this season. In the season-opener against Wyoming, he threw for 420 yards.
Though he redshirted as a freshman in 2018, the California native was the foundation of a group that ushered in the current era of Nevada football under Norvell. He was the first player in that recruiting class to commit to the Wolf Pack, making his debut the same year that Nevada had 10 players selected for postseason awards amid an eight-win season.
The quarterback's consistency from 2019 through this season is a reassuring sign, and the Wolf Pack should be in good hands again with Strong returning next season.
Michael Pratt's Unexpected Arrival
Pratt, a true freshman and former 3-star recruit, was behind redshirt senior and former Southern Mississippi signal-caller Keon Howard on the depth chart. But after Howard's slow start to the season, Pratt got the call, and he ended the season with 18 touchdown passes, leading all true freshmen on FBS teams.
Most of Tulane's offense has come from rushing this season, with 2,408 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground compared to 1,952 and 19 touchdowns through the air, but Pratt is a reliable passer and could turn that Green Wave offense into a dual-threat force in the coming seasons as he matures and adjusts to the collegiate game.
Colin Kaepernick Named to University of Nevada Athletics HOF's 2020 Class
Oct 23, 2020
Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick celebrates with fans as he leaves the field after a 34-31overtime win over Boise State during the NCAA college football game Friday night, Nov. 26, 2010, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
On Friday, the University of Nevada announced its 2020 athletics Hall of Fame inductees, and Kaepernick highlighted a group that included three football players, two men's basketball players and one women's basketball player.
Here is a look at the entire list:
Luke Babbitt: Men's Basketball (2008-10)
Dellena Criner: Women's Basketball (2005-09)
Armon Johnson: Men's Basketball (2007-10)
Colin Kaepernick: Football (2006-10)
Dontay Moch: Football (2006-10)
Vai Taua: Football (2006-10)
"The 2020 Hall of Fame class represents some of the best of the best in Wolf Pack history," athletic director Doug Knuth said. "This is an incredible collection of accomplished student-athletes and we can't wait for the opportunity to welcome them back to campus and celebrate their careers."
The announcement explained there will not be a traditional induction dinner during the fall because of COVID-19 restrictions, but the plan is to celebrate the class when it is safe.
Kaepernick was the star of Nevada's so-called 2010 "Dream Team" that went 13-1 with victories over Cal, BYU, Utah State, Fresno State and Boise State before it defeated Boston College in the Fight Hunger Bowl.
The win over Boise State was particularly notable, as Kaepernick threw for 259 yards, ran for 45 and accounted for two touchdowns in the 34-31 overtime win over the Broncos, who were No. 3 in the country at the time.
Kaepernick finished in eighth place in Heisman Trophyvotingthat year after racking up 3,022 passing yards, 1,206 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns. He won the WAC Offensive Player of the Year, which he also took home in 2008.
In all, Kaepernick finished his illustrious collegiate career with 10,098 passing yards, 4,112 rushing yards and 142 total touchdowns.
The San Francisco 49ers selected him with a second-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and he eventually led them to the Super Bowl and NFC Championship Game in back-to-back years during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
While Kaepernick, who made headlines for protesting systemic racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem as a player, is just 32 years old and threw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2016, no NFL team has signed him since he opted out of his contract following that campaign.
'Last Chance U' Alum Malik Henry Was Dropping Dimes in His 1st FBS Start
Oct 15, 2019
BR Video
Last Chance U alum Malik Henry was dropping dimes in his first FBS start. The quarterback originally committed to Florida State but left the program without taking a snap. After being featured on the show, he found a home at Nevada.
Watch the video above for more about Henry's journey.
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Former Florida State QB, 'Last Chance U' Star Malik Henry Commits to Nevada
Jan 9, 2019
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Malik Henry #6 of the Florida State Seminoles before the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 1, 2016 in Tallahassee, Florida. North Carolina upset the 12th ranked Florida State 37 to 35. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
The Nevada Wolf Pack will have a Netflix star in their quarterbacks room next season.
Nevada head coach Jay Norvell said Tuesday on NSN Daily (h/t Chris Murray of Nevada SportsNet) that quarterback Malik Henry will join the team as a walk-on. Henry was a featured player on Netflix's Last Chance U documentary series when he was enrolled at Independence Community College.
Henry was a highly regarded recruit in the class of 2016 who chose Florida State over power-conference programs such as Notre Dame and USC. He was a 4-star prospect and the No. 49 overall player in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but he never appeared in a game for the Seminoles.
Henry was briefly suspended in August of his freshman year, and in December 2016 he transferred to Independence. Per Murray, he threw for 1,383 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the 2017 season that was filmed for the Netflix show. In 2018, he threw for 237 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
"He has been humbled, and I think he wanted to come back on the West Coast and have an opportunity to resurrect his career," Norvell said on NSN Daily. "We're going to give him that opportunity."
While Henry played in just two games in 2018, he was a 3-star junior college prospect according to 247Sports' composite rankings.
According to Murray, senior Cristian Solano and redshirt freshman Carson Strong are the front-runners in the Nevada quarterback competition, but Henry figures to have the opportunity to compete after choosing the Wolf Pack as his next stop.
