Tigers let one slip away

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- The Nevada Tigers were rolling along smoothly through most of three quarters, then the wheels came off. Twenty-two unanswered second-half points by Carthage derailed Nevada in a 29-18 Southwest Conference loss at Baker Stadium on Friday. Crucial errors and an inability to curtail the Carthage passing game, which racked up 273 yards, led to the Tigers demise. "We made mistakes that cost us the game," said Nevada coach Jerry Cornelius. "It's as simple as that." The devastating defeat virtually blew away any hope of a conference title run by the Nevada Tigers, who fell to 0-2 in the conference, 2-3 overall. Nevada looked unstoppable early, marching 65 yards on its first possession to score at the 7:29 mark of the opening quarter to take a 6-0 lead. Tailback Steve Branstetter bulled over from the one for the score. The point-after kick sailed wide. Carthage (3-2, 1-0) displayed its offensive punch on the ensuing drive as they went 76 yards capped by a shovel pass to running back Dustin Holley for 29 yards and the score. Cedric Cortez's extra-point kick pushed Carthage ahead 7-6. Nevada wasted no time answering the Carthage score. A 64-yard drive, set up by fullback Kaleb Leonard's 33-yard dash through a gaping hole off left tackle, culminated with Leonard cashing in on a 2-yard touchdown burst. The two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Tigers with a 12-7 lead early in the second period. Two stops on the next two Carthage offensive series sent Nevada into the locker room at the half clinging to a five-point advantage. On its second possession of the second half, Nevada, with Leonard and Branstetter carrying the load, upped the lead to 18-7 with 6:39 left in the third quarter. Branstetter's 38-yard gallop down the right sideline preceded his 1-yard touchdown plunge. Again, the two-point conversion failed. Carthage, beginning to chew up large chunks of real estate with its passing attack, scored on a 30-yard pass and run from Owen Johns to wideout Brad Carlton. With time running out in the third quarter, Carlton, a thorn in Nevada's side all evening, caught a short pass, reversed his field, found a wall of blockers and tightroped down the sideline. A two-point conversion pass from Johns to K.C. Hagensieker closed the gap to 18-15, with 1:11 remaining in the third. Taking possession on their 16, the Tigers moved the ball with ease to midfield, then the first of a series of crucial fourth-quarter mistakes sabotaged the drive. Faced with a fourth-and-inches at their own 49, an illegal motion penalty nullified a first-down run and forced a punt. Leonard's booming 43-yard punt pushed Carthage back to its 16. A 17-yard run by Holley on the first play from scrimmage gave them breathing room and two plays later, Johns, who was 20-for-31, hit Jonathan Terry on a slant over the middle. Terry, a sophomore speedster who had two earlier drops, redeemed himself with a 67-yard go-ahead score. The point-after kick lifted Carthage to a 22-18 edge. "Carthage's offense is wide open and you've got to cover it from sideline to sideline," said Cornelius. "We couldn't get 'em stopped. They've got speed and once they caught the ball they were tough to chase." With about eight minutes remaining, time was not an issue for the Tigers, taking care of the ball and avoiding mistakes was. On the very next series, a pass bounced off a Nevada receiver's hands into the arms of a Carthage defender for a turnover at the Nevada 48. Carthage suddenly began to self-destruct, as well. Three penalties -- illegal motion, unsportsmanlike conduct, holding -- stalled their drive downfield, but each time they wiggled free by finding holes in the Nevada secondary for pass completions on critical third-down situations. A pass interference call on Nevada also gave Carthage new life early in the possession. Now, time was becoming a factor, but the crimson and gray couldn't find a way to slow down the Carthage air attack. Carthage's Bud Ellis ran in the clincher from 4-yards out with 2:11 left for a 29-18 lead. Although faced with a near impossible task of trying to erase an 11-point lead in less than two minutes, the Nevada Tigers showed a touch of class with a determined closing drive that began on their own 24 and ended on an interception at the Carthage 7, with seven seconds to go. Branstetter (19-for-126) and Leonard (13-for-78) led Nevada's ground game, which totaled 221 yards. Quarterback Roger Shafer threw for 90 on 12-of-20 completions, with two interceptions. Shafer also picked off two Carthage passes. A third interception occurred off a Leonard halfback pass. Sophomore wingback Keith Overton, continuing to contribute in only his second extensive varsity appearance, led the Tiger receivers with six catches for 55 yards. Nevada hosts conference foe Neosho at Logan Field on Friday at 7 p.m.