College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Nevada 31, California 24
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 1, 2012
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
Temperature: 60°
Head Official: Terry Leyden
Attendance: 63186

Nevada 31, California 24: Stefphon Jefferson ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns – including the go-ahead score with 36 seconds left – and Nevada upset host California.

Quarterback Cody Fajardo racked up 331 all-purpose yards and added a touchdown run for the Wolfpack (1-0).

Nevada, which entered as a 12-point underdog, took advantage of California quarterback Zach Maynard’s brief absence and spoiled the Bears’ return to Memorial Stadium.

Maynard, who was benched for nearly a quarter for missing a tutoring appointment, helped California (0-1) rally from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harper tied it at 24 with 7:24 to play, but Jefferson’s 2-yard score capped a nine-play, 61-yard drive that gave the Wolfpack the lead for good.

It was just the second win over California in 25 tries for Nevada, which has visions of winning the Mountain West Conference in its inaugural season.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bears trailed 21-7 late in the third before the momentum started to shift. Keenan Allen scored from 39 yards out on a reverse, then Kameron Jackson recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, leading to a 40-yard field goal from Vincenzo D’Amato. … California played its first game at Memorial Stadium in more than a year. The Bears played in San Francisco last season while renovations totaling $321 million were completed.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Nevada   California
Stefphon Jefferson Player C.J. Anderson
34 Attempts 14
147 Yards 66
4.3 Avg Yards 4.7
3 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Receiving
Nevada   California
Brandon Wimberly Player Keenan Allen
7 Receptions 6
83 Yards 67
11.9 Avg Yards 11.2
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Nevada 474 244 230 4 1 0 2.0 4
California 372 117 255 3 1 0 1.0 3