Herring shines as UNLV holds off Nevada 27-22
The Fremont Cannon will be changing colors for the first time in nine years.
Caleb Herring passed for 335 yards and three touchdowns and UNLV defeated upstate rival Nevada 27-22 on Saturday.
The victory snapped an eight-game Wolf Pack winning streak in the series and gave the Rebels possession of the Fremont Cannon - the most expensive trophy in college football - for the first time since 2004.
Tim Cornett rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown and Devante Davis had eight catches for 121 yards for the Rebels (5-3 overall, 3-1 Mountain West Conference).
Herring completed 29 of 42 passes and his 11-yard strike to Davis with 5:54 left in the game put the Rebels up 27-16.
Nevada responded with an 8-play, 72-yard drive that culminated with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cody Fajardo to Aaron Bradley to cut the lead to 27-22 with 3:25 left.
The Wolf Pack defense forced the Rebels into a 3-and-out on the ensuing possession, but could not complete the comeback as Fajardo's pass to Jerico Richardson on a fourth-and-four, with 1:28 left, fell incomplete. UNLV was then able to run out the clock.
Fajardo was 24 of 40 for 357 yards and two touchdowns for Nevada (3-5 overall, 2-3 MWC).
He had a 61-yard scoring pass to Richy Turner that put the Wolf Pack ahead 13-7 with 5:52 left in the first half.
Nevada also had three first-half field goals of 40, 22 and 43 yards - to lead 16-14 at halftime.
Herring had touchdown passes of 44 and 11 yards to Davis, and also hooked up with Maika Mataele from 16 yards.
The Wolf Pack had 13 penalties for 105 yards, lost one fumble and was intercepted once. UNLV was penalized three times for 35 yards and lost one fumble.