CSU Rams beat Nevada to clinch first bowl bid in seven years, remain unbeaten in Mountain West

So much for winning ugly.

In Jay Norvell’s return to his old Reno stomping grounds, his CSU Rams left no doubt, beating Nevada 38-21 on Saturday night to clinch bowl eligibility for the first time in seven years and remain unbeaten in Mountain West Conference play.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence. We keep getting better,” Norvell said after the game on the CBS Sports Network broadcast. “… I think we’ve got a lot left in this team and we just want to keep playing one week at a time.”

The Rams (6-3, 4-0 Mountain West) put together a decent highlight reel clinching their first bowl bid since 2017.

Dane Olson laid out for a 41-yard reception to set up the Rams’ first touchdown on their opening drive of the game. Kicker Jordan Noyes drilled a 60-yard field goal that’s the second-longest in program history. The defense made a goal-line stand as part of a first-half shutout. And special teams produced an improbable touchdown, forcing a fumble on Nevada’s goal line after the Wolf Pack mishandled a kickoff that Jace Bellah recovered in the end zone.

Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi even pinned the Wolf Pack inside their own 10 with a pooch punt in the third quarter.

Of course, the latter preceded a 12-play, 95-yard march punctuated by Nevada QB Brendon Lewis’ second 3-yard touchdown run — a score that pulled Nevada back within 28-14 with 12:16 to go after CSU had taken a 28-0 lead.

But unlike the Rams’ recent wins, CSU immediately answered with a touchdown march of its own, with Avery Morrow’s 15-yard scoring run essentially putting the game away at 35-14 with 8:42 left.

CSU totaled 170 yards on the ground. Morrow led the Rams with 77 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while Justin Marshall had 67 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

Marshall’s scoring run gave the Rams a 14-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter, and Noyes’ 60-yard boot put them ahead 17-0 at the break. The 32-year-old kicker added two more field goals from 21 and 35 yards in the second half to help weather Nevada’s last-ditch rally.

Fowler-Nicolosi completed 9 of 15 passes for 157 yards.