2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football
Head coach Chris Ault introduces football players with Commander Marc Behning, left, commanding officer of the Ohio–class fleet ballistic–missile submarine USS Nevada (SSBN-733) at the University of Nevada, Reno on September 16, 2009
Hawaii Bowl, L 10–45 vs. SMU
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	8–5 (7–1 WAC)
Head coach	Chris Ault (25th season)
Offensive coordinator	Chris Klenakis (9th season)
Offensive scheme	Pistol
Defensive coordinator	Nigel Burton (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Mackay Stadium

2009 Western Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Boise State $%		8	–	0					14	–	0
Nevada		7	–	1					8	–	5
Fresno State		6	–	2					8	–	5
Idaho		4	–	4					8	–	5
Hawaii		3	–	5					6	–	7
Louisiana Tech		3	–	5					4	–	8
Utah State		3	–	5					4	–	8
New Mexico State		1	–	7					3	–	10
San Jose State		1	–	7					2	–	10
% – BCS at-large representative $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Wolf Pack were led by Chris Ault in his 25th overall and 6th straight season since taking over as head coach for the third time in 2004. They played their home games at Mackay Stadium. The Wolf Pack finished the regular season 8–4 and 7–1 in the WAC, good enough for second place in the conference behind Boise State. They lost to SMU in the Hawaii Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	12:30 p.m.	at No. 23 Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	L 0–35	80,795
September 19	2:00 p.m.	at Colorado State*	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO		L 20–35	24,967
September 25	6:00 p.m.	Missouri*	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	ESPN	L 21–31	18,269
October 3	1:00 p.m.	UNLV*	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV (Fremont Cannon)		W 63–28	24,078
October 9	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	ESPN	W 37–14	11,975
October 17	12:00 p.m.	at Utah State	Romney Stadium Logan, UT	KAME-TV/CSNCA/XXL Sports/Cis–Com	W 35–32	15,103
October 24	1:00 p.m.	Idaho	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV		W 70–45	16,611
October 31	1:00 p.m.	Hawaii	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	Oceanic PPV	W 31–21	14,735
November 8	5:30 p.m.	at San Jose State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ESPN	W 62–7	11,103
November 14	1:00 p.m.	Fresno State	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	CSNCA/ESPNGP	W 52–14	19,331
November 21	7:30 p.m.	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	ESPNU	W 63–20	11,775
November 27	7:00 p.m.	at No. 6 Boise State	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 33–44	32,642
December 24	5:00 p.m.	vs. SMU*	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (Hawaii Bowl)	ESPN	L 10–45	32,650
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

Game summaries

At Notre Dame

Nevada at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Wolf Pack 0 0 0 0 0 • No. 23 Fighting Irish 7 21 7 0 35 Date: September 5, 2009 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:42 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2 hours and 53 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Partly Sunny • Wind: SSE 7 MPH Referee: Dennis Hennigan TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Pat Haden and Alex Flanagan (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 08:42 ND Kyle Rudolph 19–yard pass from Jimmy Clausen (Nick Tausch kick) ND 7–0 2 14:54 ND Michael Floyd 24–yard pass from Jimmy Clausen (Nick Tausch kick) ND 14–0 2 11:42 ND Michael Floyd 70–yard pass from Jimmy Clausen (Nick Tausch kick) ND 21–0 2 01:48 ND Armando Allen 1–yard run (Nick Tausch kick) ND 28–0 3 10:12 ND Michael Floyd 88–yard pass from Jimmy Clausen (Nick Tausch kick) ND 35–0

See also: 2009 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

At Colorado State

Nevada at Colorado State

1 2 3 4 Total Wolf Pack 0 0 6 14 20 • Rams 14 0 7 14 35 Date: September 19, 2009 Location: Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO Game start: 3:06 p.m. MDT Elapsed time: 2 hours and 59 minutes Game attendance: 24,967 Game weather: Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 10 MPH Referee: Ed Ardito TV announcers (None): None

Scoring summary 1 08:42 CSU John Mosure 1–yard run (Ben Deline kick) CSU 7–0 1 02:03 CSU Eric Peitz 25–yard pass from Dion Morton (Ben Deline kick) CSU 14–0 3 12:08 NEV Vai Taua 31–yard run (Ricky Drake kick failed) CSU 14–6 3 06:22 CSU Dion Morton 49–yard pass from Grant Stucker (Ben Deline kick) CSU 21–6 4 14:53 CSU Zac Pauga 32–yard pass from Grant Stucker (Ben Deline kick) CSU 28–6 4 06:43 CSU Grant Stucker 35–yard run (Ben Deline kick) CSU 35–6 4 03:08 NEV Vai Taua 2–yard run (rush) CSU 35–14 4 00:00 NEV Brandon Wimberly 13–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick CSU 35–20

See also: 2009 Colorado State Rams football team

Missouri

Missouri at Nevada

1 2 3 4 Total • Tigers 6 6 9 10 31 Wolf Pack 7 0 6 8 21 Date: September 25, 2009 Location: Mackay Stadium Reno, NV Game start: 6:01 p.m. PDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 14 minutes Game attendance: 18,269 Game weather: Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 5 MPH Referee: Adrian Hill TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore

Scoring summary 1 10:47 MU Grant Ressel 22–yard field goal MU 3–0 1 04:57 NEV Courtney Randall 2–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 7–3 1 01:00 MU Grant Ressel 31–yard field goal NEV 7–6 2 02:09 MU Danario Alexander 31–yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (Derrick Washington pass failed) MU 12–7 3 11:07 NEV Colin Kaepernick 11–yard run (Courtney Randall rush failed) NEV 13–12 3 10:30 MU Danario Alexander 74–yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (pass failed) MU 18–13 3 04:17 MU Grant Ressel 27–yard field goal MU 21–13 4 10:07 MU Jared Perry 4–yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (Grant Ressel kick) MU 28–13 4 05:00 MU Grant Ressel 26–yard field goal MU 31–13 4 02:32 NEV Brandon Wimberly 6–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (rush) MU 31–21

See also: 2009 Missouri Tigers football team

UNLV

UNLV at Nevada
(Battle for the Fremont Cannon)

1 2 3 4 Total Rebels 0 21 7 0 28 • Wolf Pack 14 7 14 28 63 Date: October 3, 2009 Location: Mackay Stadium Reno, NV Game start: 1:05 p.m. PDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 32 minutes Game attendance: 24,078 Game weather: Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 23 MPH Referee: Rick Loumiet TV announcers (None): None

Scoring summary 1 10:44 NEV Luke Lippincott 12–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 7–0 1 04:41 NEV Mike Ball 10–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 14–0 2 14:28 UNLV Channing Trotter 2–yard run (Kyle Watson kick) NEV 14–7 2 10:25 NEV Mike Ball 1–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 21–7 2 07:27 UNLV Jerriman Robinson 39–yard pass from Mike Clausen (Kyle Watson kick) NEV 21–14 2 00:15 UNLV Channing Trotter 1–yard run (Kyle Watson kick) TIE 21–21 3 11:43 NEV Mike Ball 32–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 28–21 3 04:20 UNLV C.J. Cox 23–yard run (Kyle Watson kick) TIE 28–28 3 00:50 NEV Mike Ball 4–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 35–28 4 11:21 NEV Virgil Green 17–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 42–28 4 06:59 NEV Colin Kaepernick 6–yard pass from Luke Lippincott (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 49–28 4 04:37 NEV Mike Ball 89–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 56–28 4 03:04 NEV Courtney Randall 26–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 63–28

See also: 2009 UNLV Rebels football team and Fremont Cannon

Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech at Nevada

1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 7 0 7 0 14 • Wolf Pack 14 3 13 7 37 Date: October 9, 2009 Location: Mackay Stadium Reno, NV Game start: 6:01 p.m. PDT Elapsed time: 3 hours Game attendance: 11,975 Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 11 MPH Referee: Roger Gaskamp TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore

Scoring summary 1 14:16 LATECH Daniel Porter 15–yard run (Matt Nelson kick) LATECH 7–0 1 04:34 NEV Talaiasi Puloka Jr. 3–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) TIE 7–7 1 00:29 NEV Colin Kaepernick 5–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 14–7 2 10:22 NEV Ricky Drake 40–yard field goal NEV 17–7 3 10:15 NEV Brandon Wimberly 24–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick failed) NEV 23–7 3 09:56 LATECH Daniel Porter 64–yard run (Matt Nelson kick) NEV 23–14 3 01:57 NEV Colin Kaepernick 67–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 30–14 4 14:49 NEV Virgil Green 3–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 37–14

See also: 2009 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

At Utah State

Nevada at Utah State

1 2 3 4 Total • Wolf Pack 0 14 7 14 35 Aggies 7 14 3 8 32 Date: October 17, 2009 Location: Romney Stadium Logan, UT Game start: 1:07 p.m. MDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 12 minutes Game attendance: 15,103 Game weather: Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Weather: Brisk, Clear and Sunny • Wind: N/A Referee: R.G. Detillier TV announcers (KAME-TV/CSNCA/XXL Sports/Cis–Com): N/A

Scoring summary 1 06:41 USU Robert Turbin 1–yard run (Chris Ulinski kick) USU 7–0 2 12:25 USU Eric Moats 8–yard pass from Diondre Borel (Chris Ulinski kick) USU 14–0 2 10:54 NEV Luke Lippincott 11–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) USU 14–7 2 08:38 USU Robert Turbin 32–yard pass from Diondre Borel (Chris Ulinski kick) USU 21–7 2 03:56 NEV Virgil Green 44–yard from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) USU 21–14 3 10:23 USU Chris Ulinski 48–yard field goal USU 24–14 3 01:49 NEV Vai Taua 5–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) USU 24–21 4 09:02 NEV Brandon Wimberly 49–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 28–24 4 04:08 NEV Luke Lippincott 69–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 35–24 4 02:35 USU Nnamdi Gwacham 14–yard pass from Diondre Borel (Robert Turbin pass) NEV 35–32

See also: 2009 Utah State Aggies football team

Idaho

Idaho at Nevada

1 2 3 4 Total Vandals 0 24 14 7 45 • Wolf Pack 14 14 21 21 70 Date: October 24, 2009 Location: Mackay Stadium Reno, NV Game start: 1:07 p.m. PDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Game attendance: 16,611 Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: NW 5 MPH Referee: Daniel Romeo TV announcers (None): None

Scoring summary 1 09:27 NEV Colin Kaepernick 11–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 7–0 1 04:42 NEV Vai Taua 89–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 14–0 2 13:26 NEV Colin Kaepernick 61–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 21–0 2 12:47 IDAHO Maurice Shaw 73–yard pass from Nathan Enderle (Trey Farquhar kick) NEV 21–7 2 11:15 IDAHO Deonte Jackson 59–yard run (Trey Farquhar kick) NEV 21–14 2 04:12 NEV Vai Taua 1–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 28–14 2 03:06 IDAHO Maurice Shaw 73–yard pass from Nathan Enderle (Trey Farquhar kick) NEV 28–21 2 00:35 IDAHO Trey Farquhar 54–yard field goal NEV 28–24 3 14:09 NEV Colin Kaepernick 35–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 35–24 3 10:29 NEV Colin Kaepernick 75–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 42–24 3 06:11 IDAHO Max Komar 9–yard pass from Nathan Enderle (Trey Farquhar kick) NEV 42–31 3 01:52 NEV Chris Wellington 25–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 49–31 3 00:48 IDAHO Max Komar 20–yard pass from Nathan Enderle (Trey Farquhar kick) NEV 49–38 4 14:23 NEV Virgil Green 44–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 56–38 4 09:30 NEV Luke Lippincott 9–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 63–38 4 07:09 NEV Lampford Mark 12–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 70–38 4 02:55 IDAHO Max Komar 14–yard pass from Brian Reader (Trey Farquhar kick) NEV 70–45

See also: 2009 Idaho Vandals football team

Hawaii

Hawaii at Nevada

1 2 3 4 Total Warriors 14 0 0 7 21 • Wolf Pack 7 14 7 3 31 Date: October 31, 2009 Location: Mackay Stadium Reno, NV Game start: 1:07 p.m. PDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 minutes Game attendance: 14,735 Game weather: Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: None Referee: Land Clark TV announcers (Oceanic PPV): Jim Leahey and Russell Yamanoha

Scoring summary 1 10:53 UH Kealoha Pilares 18–yard pass from Bryant Moniz (Scott Enos kick) UH 7–0 1 08:48 UH Jovonte Taylor 71–yard pass from Bryant Moniz (Scott Enos kick) UH 14–0 1 03:34 NEV Colin Kaepernick 2–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) UH 14–7 2 01:48 NEV Vai Taua 30–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) TIE 14–14 2 00:31 NEV Colin Kaepernick 38–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 21–14 3 03:18 NEV Tray Session 40–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 28–14 4 06:18 UH Jovonte Taylor 4–yard pass from Bryant Moniz (Scott Enos kick) NEV 28–21 4 01:18 NEV Ricky Drake 27–yard field goal NEV 31–21

See also: 2009 Hawaii Warriors football team

At San Jose State

Nevada at San Jose State

1 2 3 4 Total • Wolf Pack 6 28 14 14 62 Spartans 0 0 0 7 7 Date: November 8, 2009 Location: Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA Game start: 5:32 p.m. PST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 6 minutes Game attendance: 11,103 Game weather: Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Clear Skies • Wind: WNW 7 MPH Referee: Terry Leyden TV announcers (ESPN): Terry Gannon and David Norrie

Scoring summary 1 10:17 NEV Colin Kaepernick 19–yard run (Ricky Drake kick failed) NEV 6–0 2 12:38 NEV Colin Kaepernick 15–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 13–0 2 05:39 NEV Colin Kaepernick 4–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 20–0 2 01:45 NEV Luke Lippincott 3–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 27–0 2 00:13 NEV Vai Taua 70–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 34–0 3 11:42 NEV Luke Lippincott 8–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 41–0 3 09:25 NEV L.J. Washington 46–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 48–0 4 14:29 NEV Courtney Randall 3–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 55–0 4 10:50 SJSU Patrick Perry 1–yard run (Tyler Cope kick) NEV 55–7 4 03:41 NEV Lampford Mark 6–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 62–7

See also: 2009 San Jose State Spartans football team

Fresno State

Fresno State at Nevada

1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 14 0 0 0 14 • Wolf Pack 10 14 14 14 52 Date: November 14, 2009 Location: Mackay Stadium Reno, NV Game start: 1:07 p.m. PST Elapsed time: 2 hours and 57 minutes Game attendance: 19,331 Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Sunny and Clear • Wind: Calm Referee: Randy Smith TV announcers (CSNCA/ESPNGP): Ralph Wood, Randy Rosenbloom and Guy Haberman (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 11:47 FS Jamel Hamler 57–yard pass from Ryan Colburn (Kevin Goessling kick) FS 7–0 1 08:52 NEV Vai Taua 50–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) TIE 7–7 1 06:24 FS Seyi Ajirotutu 3–yard pass from Ryan Colburn (Kevin Goessling kick) FS 14–7 1 00:38 NEV Ricky Drake 40–yard field goal FS 14–10 2 06:51 NEV Luke Lippincott 1–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 17–14 2 02:31 NEV Vai Taua 65–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 24–14 3 12:07 NEV Colin Kaepernick 6–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 31–14 3 10:40 NEV Luke Lippincott 27–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 38–14 4 08:54 NEV Luke Lippincott 4–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 45–14 4 07:36 NEV Colin Kaepernick 21–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 52–14

See also: 2009 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

At New Mexico State

Nevada at New Mexico State

1 2 3 4 Total • Wolf Pack 28 14 14 7 63 Aggies 3 3 0 14 20 Date: November 21, 2009 Location: Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM Game start: 8:35 p.m. MST Elapsed time: 2 hours and 50 minutes Game attendance: 11,775 Game weather: Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: W 5 MPH Referee: Robert Cameron TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Morgan and J. C. Pearson

Scoring summary 1 11:20 NMSU Kyle Hughes 31–yard field goal NMSU 3–0 1 10:07 NEV Chris Wellington 56–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 7–3 1 08:21 NEV Colin Kaepernick 57–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 14–3 1 05:43 NEV Luke Lippincott 28–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 21–3 1 02:28 NEV Vai Taua 23–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 28–3 2 14:51 NMSU Kyle Hughes 21–yard field goal NEV 28–6 2 08:22 NEV Colin Kaepernick 7–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 35–6 2 00:19 NEV Vai Taua 16–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 42–6 3 11:08 NEV Luke Lippincott 32–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 49–6 3 04:44 NEV Tyler Lantrip 4–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) NEV 56–6 4 14:16 NEV Lampford Mark 23–yard run (Nick Rhodes kick) NEV 63–6 4 09:57 NMSU Marcus Allen 14–yard pass from Jeff Fleming (Kyle Hughes kick) NEV 63–13 4 00:17 NMSU Marcus Allen 11–yard pass from Jeff Fleming (Kyle Hughes kick) NEV 63–20

See also: 2009 New Mexico State Aggies football team

At Boise State

Nevada at Boise State
(rivalry)

1 2 3 4 Total Wolf Pack 0 16 10 7 33 • No. 6 Broncos 20 7 7 10 44 Date: November 27, 2009 Location: Bronco Stadium Boise, ID Game start: 8:08 p.m. MST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes Game attendance: 32,642 Game weather: Temperature: 37 °F (3 °C) • Weather: Light Rain • Wind: WNW 10 MPH Referee: Rich Kollen TV announcers (ESPN2): Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore

Scoring summary 1 14:45 BSU Titus Young 95–yard kickoff return (Kyle Brotzman kick) BSU 7–0 1 09:03 BSU Dan Paul 18–yard pass from Kellen Moore (Austin Pettis rush failed) BSU 13–0 1 04:20 BSU Dan Paul 3–yard pass from Kellen Moore (Kyle Brotzman kick) BSU 20–0 2 13:36 NEV Ricky Drake 26–yard field goal BSU 20–3 2 09:59 BSU Dan Paul 1–yard pass from Kellen Moore (Kyle Brotzman kick) BSU 27–3 2 03:38 NEV Virgil Green 6–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick failed) BSU 27–9 2 00:03 NEV Brandon Wimberly 3–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) BSU 27–16 3 09:38 NEV Ricky Drake 37–yard field goal BSU 27–19 3 02:40 BSU Tommy Gallarda 21–yard pass from Kellen Moore (Kyle Brotzman kick) BSU 34–19 3 02:23 NEV Vai Taua 71–yard run (Ricky Drake kick) BSU 34–26 4 10:55 BSU Kyle Brotzman 27–yard field goal BSU 37–26 4 05:08 BSU Kirby Moore 6–yard pass from Kellen Moore (Kyle Brotzman kick) BSU 44–26 4 01:16 NEV Tray Session 23–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) BSU 44–33

See also: 2009 Boise State Broncos football team and Boise State–Nevada football rivalry

Vs. SMU

Nevada vs. SMU
(Hawaii Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total Wolf Pack 0 0 3 7 10 • Mustangs 17 14 7 7 45 Date: December 24, 2009 Location: Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI Game start: 3:01 p.m. Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes Game attendance: 32,650 Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Humidity 64% • Wind: Calm Referee: Land Clark TV announcers (ESPN): Terry Gannon and David Norrie

Scoring summary 1 13:29 SMU Shawnbrey McNeal 9–yard run (Matt Szymanski kick) SMU 7–0 1 08:22 SMU Shawnbrey McNeal 1–yard run (Matt Szymanski kick) SMU 14–0 1 02:49 SMU Matt Szymanski 22–yard field goal SMU 17–0 2 05:37 SMU Emmanuel Sanders 17–yard pass from Kyle Padron (Matt Szymanski kick) SMU 24–0 2 01:17 SMU Cole Beasley 2–yard pass from Kyle Padron (Matt Szymanski kick) SMU 31–0 3 07:45 SMU Zach Line 3–yard run (Matt Szymanski kick) SMU 38–0 3 03:08 NEV Ricky Drake 21–yard field goal SMU 38–3 4 03:27 SMU Shawnbrey McNeal 17–yard run (Matt Szymanski kick) SMU 45–3 4 01:04 NEV Brandon Wimberly 10–yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Ricky Drake kick) SMU 45–10

See also: 2009 SMU Mustangs football team and 2009 Hawaii Bowl