Word is vaccines for the Green Infection will be free to Reno residents beginning Saturday. On Friday night, Colorado State's defense played like a public menace to the Nevada offense, producing turnovers and coming up with third-down stops, making up for an offense which couldn't turn promise into production. Not even with running back Avery Morrow producing the first 100-yard game of his career.

For the first time this season, Colorado State had a lead to play with, and for the first time this year, the Rams won a game because the defense did what the offense couldn't – find the end zone.

But Michael Boyle did find the uprights from 43 yards out, and he did it with no time on the clock to produce a 17-14 victory at Mackay Stadium.

"I'm just so proud. So proud of our kids for fighting," CSU coach Jay Norvell said. "I told them before the game, this game is about love and playing hard for your teammates, and we really haven't seen that from our kids, and we saw it tonight."

For the first time in 10 years, Colorado State's defense produced a pair of touchdowns in a game, both coming in the first quarter as the Rams built a 14-0 lead in Jay Norvell's return to Nevada, a program he had led to four bowl appearances in the past four seasons, doing so with a squad looking for its first win of the season in the Mountain West opener.

"We're going crazy in the locker room right now," Ayden Hector said. "This win means a lot to the team, it means a lot to everyone, especially Coach Norvell. He was brought to tears in the locker room, and I was almost brought to tears when we made that field goal. It just means a lot, the way we rallied together and played for each other. There's nothing better than that in sports."

For the fourth time this season, the Rams' offense was held scoreless in the first half. Other means were necessary.

The Rams were a team looking for something early to build on, and they found it in the form of Hector's pick-six. It came after Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi had thrown an interception which served as a good punt, with the nickelback who was making his first start of the season undercutting an out route and returning it 21 yards for a score.

The defense would add to the lead as Devonte Lee appeared to try to shovel the ball to a teammate while getting tackled on a run, but it was snared by Mukendi Wa-Kalonji, who returned it 50 yards for the touchdown with 3:44 remaining in the opening frame.

"Coach (Freddie) Banks, his standard for us is perfection, and he won't be satisfied with anything less than that," Hector said. "We had a great week of practice this week, and we could just tell we were locked in all week. We were in the film room, we knew their tendencies, and we knew we were going to get us one, and we got us two."
Turnovers create momentum. Scoring off them takes it off the charts.

Doing so with three true freshman starters on offense, one of them the quarterback, provides a level of comfort and confidence.

"It was really important for us to start fast, and the defense led the way," Norvell said. "They hadn't turned the ball over very much until tonight. Whenever you can score on defense it gives you such a shot in the arm, and it was huge for us to be able to start that way."

The unit also produced an impressive red-zone stand in the second, forcing a field goal attempt which missed, but was hurt late in the half when Nevada went on a 99-yard drive – one which seemed stalled at the first first-down – taking 18 plays and resulting in a 4-yard scoring run by Toa Taua.

At the half, the defensive returns covered 71 yards. The offense had netted just 72, with Fowler-Nicolosi just 2-of-9 passing with two interceptions for 4 yards. The run game had generated 68 yards, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry, but couldn't sustain anything. Morrow kept adding yards, but the offense found ways to stall despite his 24 carries and 168 yards. Morrow fumbled on the most promising drive, and false starts and other penalties stopped others, but the 2-minute drill at the end had a touch of magic.

"Definitely a lot of frustration, but the end goal was just finish no matter the cost," Morrow said. "We really wanted this win bad. There was a lot of talk and this and that. We just came here to play ball. We came out with the dub, and that's all that matters."

Oddly enough, Norvell noticed in the fourth quarter the video board played a montage of Mackay Magic, and he noticed most the highlights were when he was coaching. One, a game-winning field goal to beat Purdue.

Foreshadowing.

The 2-minute drill gave the Rams a shot at a 48-yard field goal attempt by Boyle. Nevada called timeout to ice him, but he carried through and made the kick. Then he missed it when play resumed, but Nevada was flagged for running into him.

There was no time on the clock when he lined up from 43. Again, he followed through as Nevada called timeout and hit it. Then he did it for real, a very high attempt he knew was on target. Second chances are good.

"Absolutely. And a third and a fourth," Boyle said. "We practice that at least once a week and getting extra reps on the field is always great. It gives everyone a chance to get comfortable out there. I was level the whole time. You have to keep a level head, just another kick, just another practice rep."

Which was very much for real, and his celebration was part elation and also to keep off the bottom of a dog pile.

At the end of the night, Norvell didn't look any worse for the wear. Illnesses can take it out of you, but the infection he and his team carried into Reno, it wasn't as bad as advertised. Not from his end.

"Yeah, right. I feel good," Norvell said. "I feel great. I'd take this feeling every week."