Nevada stuns Purdue with last-second field goal to cap desperation rally

Tom Gatto

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Nevada stuns Purdue with last-second field goal to cap desperation rally image

Nevada produced perhaps the best finish of the young college football season late Friday night in Reno.

The Wolf Pack scored 10 points in the final minute of the fourth quarter, the last three on a 56-yard field goal by freshman Brandon Talton as time expired, to beat Purdue 34-31.

Nevada (1-0) intercepted Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar at midfield to set up Talton's winning kick.

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The Wolf Pack, who trailed the Boilermakers (0-1) 24-7 at halftime and 31-14 in the third quarter, tied the game 31-31 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Carson Strong to Elijah Cooks with 52 seconds remaining.

Nevada had some good fortune during its comeback, too. Three plays before the tying touchdown, Strong completed a desperation heave to Toa Taua that withstood a video review, .

The loss spoiled a strong season debut for Purdue sophomore wide receiver Rondale Moore, who caught 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.