The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Nevada @ Air Force

It was an early season match-up between two teams that were looking to surprise their Mountain West foes. The Nevada Wolf Pack traveled to Colorado to take on the Air Force Falcons. Early on in this contest, it looked like the Wolf Pack were going to run away, but the Falcons were able to overcome a terrible offensive performance to make it a competitive game. While Nevada was able to squeak out a 28-25 victory, there were plenty of memorable performances in this one. Let’s take a look at the good, bad, and ugly moments of this game.

The Good:

Ty Gangi

Gangi had a really solid performance. Outside of the interception to Zane Lewis, he played a nearly flawless game. Gangi finished the game completing 24 of 33 passes for 259 yards and four touchdowns. He was extremely accurate and did a great job spreading the ball around.

Zane Lewis

Lewis’ 99 yard interception return for a touchdown was a thing of beauty, and it kept the game from getting too out of hand early.

Nevada’s Rushing Attack

There isn’t one particular stat that really sticks out, but the fact that Nevada out-gained Air Force on the ground should count for something. It was a great performance from the offensive line; they were able to effectively open up holes for the backs and put Gangi in manageable second and third down situations. The Wolf Pack finished the game with 177 yards on 34 carries. Any time you can manage over five yards per carry, you are putting your team in a good spot to come away with a victory.

The Bad:

The Air Force Ground Game

Whenever their opponent out-gains them, Air Force is in trouble. The Falcons rely on a rushing attack that wears their opponents down and forces them into submission. Building an early lead against Air Force gave the Wolf Pack a huge advantage, as the Falcons were forced to air it out more than normal. Air Force finished the game with 51 carries for only 154 yards, far below their season average.

The Ugly:

Donald Hammond III

After falling behind early, the Falcons were forced to air it out more than they normally do. Hammond attempted 15 passes, completing six of them for 71 yards. Hammond wasn’t much better on the ground, gaining only 28 yards on seven carries.

Arion Worthman

Worthman may have shared time with Hammond in this contest, but his performance was equally bad. While he did not have the passing attempts his teammate did, he did have some opportunities in the run game. Worthman had -4 yards on 10 carries and surrendered two fumbles. That is about as ugly as it gets.

That’s it for this edition of “the Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Be sure to tune in next week, as we will be covering the Nevada-UNLV rivalry.