ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Nick Wilson’s 194 rushing yards help Arizona cruise to 44-20 win over Nevada

Sep 12, 2015, 8:03 PM | Updated: 9:08 pm

Arizona’s Nick Wilson (28) scores against Nevada’s Kendall Johnson (26) during the firs...

Arizona's Nick Wilson (28) scores against Nevada's Kendall Johnson (26) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Reno, Nev., on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

(AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

Scooby Wright’s injury took away a game changer on defense for Arizona, but Nick Wilson reminded everyone that the Wildcats have a game changer on offense as well.

The sophomore running back was known for his big games last year and on Saturday he proved that would also be the case this season.

His 21 carries for 194 yards and three touchdowns made it his eighth career 100+ yard rushing performance of his young career. Last year, Wilson had a big performance against Nevada as well, with 29 carries for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Saturday night was different though, with Wilson averaging 9.2 yards per carry. He also had two catches catches for 30 yards.

After a fast 14-0 lead for the Wildcats, Arizona had three straight drives without a score and Nevada scored 10 straight points. With the game’s momentum up for grabs, Wilson took over.

A five-play, 40-yard drive was all Wilson. He made a superb catch for 12 yards, followed that with a carry for 23 yards, and ended the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.

From that point on in the game, Arizona never looked back and cruised to an easy 44-20 win.

Sophomore quarterback Anu Solomon had a good game as well, with 24-for-33 passing and threw a completion to nine different receivers. However, Solomon only averaged eight yards per completion.

Wilson was the one making the biggest impact and his huge plays were the difference against Nevada. The Wildcats will need more performances like this from Wilson while their star linebacker is out and the scary part for the rest of the Pac-12 is that he might be up to the task.

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Nick Wilson’s 194 rushing yards help Arizona cruise to 44-20 win over Nevada