DMN: Mustangs Make It Two-in-a-Row - Calvin Watkins Absent
Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2004 12:59 amhmmmm....where's Calvin Watkins?
By CATHY HARASTA / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY PARK – In just his second game at linebacker, SMU junior Alvin Nnabuife scored two touchdowns in one quarter – including a school-record 95-yard fumble return – as the Mustangs beat Nevada, 38-20, on Saturday for their second consecutive victory.
Nnabuife, a former safety who had scored only once in his career, became the first SMU player to score two touchdowns on fumble recoveries in a game.
SMU, propelled by a 28-point third quarter, hadn't won back-to-back home games since 2000. The victory gave the Mustangs a 3-2 record at home this season.
Nevada came in on a roll, but left rocked by an SMU team determined to close out its home season with a victory.
The Wolf Pack brought a three-game winning streak to Gerald J. Ford Stadium. But the Mustangs turned the third quarter into a scoring fest, scoring three touchdowns within two minutes to go up, 31-13. Nnaabuife's second fumble recovery returned for a touchdown gave SMU a 38-20 lead late in the quarter.
SMU, coming off a 41-35 overtime victory over Tulsa, scored on its first two possessions and led at halftime, 10-6.
Quarterback Tony Eckert's 38-yard touchdown to Cedrick Dorsey followed a 21-yard pass to Reynaldo Pellerin. Chris McMurtray's 42-yard field goal with 5:17 left in the first quarter gave SMU a 10-3 lead.
Damon Fine had first-half field goals from 33 and 26 yards for Nevada, which was out of timeouts when the half ended, preventing a another field-goal attempt.
Eckert, the starter, alternated at quarterback with Jerad Romo, who scored the third-quarter touchdown that gave SMU a 17-13 lead. He then scrambled 15 yards to the 1 to set up Foy Munlin's rushing touchdown. Nnabuife completed the touchdown trifecta with his 17-yard return of a recovered fumble with 9:46 left in the third.
Nevada, which had been averaging 33.1 points per game, appeared ready to make a run when linebacker Kevin Porter recovered an Eckert fumble to open the second half. The Wolf Pack took its first lead, 13-10, on Nichiren Flowers' 18-yard touchdown reception.
Nevada left little to Chance Kretschmer, the Wolf Pack's senior running back who was hobbled by a sprained ankle.
Junior B.J. Mitchell started in place of Kretschmer, who played sparingly. Mitchell couldn't convert on a fourth-and-2 at SMU's 41 with 11 minutes left in the first quarter.
Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe completed 16 of 20 attempts for 202 yards in the first half.
By CATHY HARASTA / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY PARK – In just his second game at linebacker, SMU junior Alvin Nnabuife scored two touchdowns in one quarter – including a school-record 95-yard fumble return – as the Mustangs beat Nevada, 38-20, on Saturday for their second consecutive victory.
Nnabuife, a former safety who had scored only once in his career, became the first SMU player to score two touchdowns on fumble recoveries in a game.
SMU, propelled by a 28-point third quarter, hadn't won back-to-back home games since 2000. The victory gave the Mustangs a 3-2 record at home this season.
Nevada came in on a roll, but left rocked by an SMU team determined to close out its home season with a victory.
The Wolf Pack brought a three-game winning streak to Gerald J. Ford Stadium. But the Mustangs turned the third quarter into a scoring fest, scoring three touchdowns within two minutes to go up, 31-13. Nnaabuife's second fumble recovery returned for a touchdown gave SMU a 38-20 lead late in the quarter.
SMU, coming off a 41-35 overtime victory over Tulsa, scored on its first two possessions and led at halftime, 10-6.
Quarterback Tony Eckert's 38-yard touchdown to Cedrick Dorsey followed a 21-yard pass to Reynaldo Pellerin. Chris McMurtray's 42-yard field goal with 5:17 left in the first quarter gave SMU a 10-3 lead.
Damon Fine had first-half field goals from 33 and 26 yards for Nevada, which was out of timeouts when the half ended, preventing a another field-goal attempt.
Eckert, the starter, alternated at quarterback with Jerad Romo, who scored the third-quarter touchdown that gave SMU a 17-13 lead. He then scrambled 15 yards to the 1 to set up Foy Munlin's rushing touchdown. Nnabuife completed the touchdown trifecta with his 17-yard return of a recovered fumble with 9:46 left in the third.
Nevada, which had been averaging 33.1 points per game, appeared ready to make a run when linebacker Kevin Porter recovered an Eckert fumble to open the second half. The Wolf Pack took its first lead, 13-10, on Nichiren Flowers' 18-yard touchdown reception.
Nevada left little to Chance Kretschmer, the Wolf Pack's senior running back who was hobbled by a sprained ankle.
Junior B.J. Mitchell started in place of Kretschmer, who played sparingly. Mitchell couldn't convert on a fourth-and-2 at SMU's 41 with 11 minutes left in the first quarter.
Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe completed 16 of 20 attempts for 202 yards in the first half.
