The Nevada Wolf Pack football team has added Purdue and Toledo to its future schedules.
The Wolf Pack will meet both schools in a pair of two-game series starting in 2016. The Pack will play at Purdue in 2016 with the Boilermakers making a trip to Mackay Stadium in 2019. The Wolf Pack will host Toledo in 2017 at Mackay and will then travel to Toledo to play the Rockets in 2018.
The Wolf Pack has never met Purdue. The Wolf Pack has made just one trip to the state of Indiana in its school history, losing to Notre Dame 35-0 on Sept. 5, 2009.
The Wolf Pack and Toledo were big rivals in the 1990s. The two schools met three times, twice in 1995 and once in 1997, with Toledo winning all three games. Toledo beat the Pack 40-37 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 14, 1995. The Rockets also won at Mackay Stadium, 49-35, on Sept. 23, 1995 and 31-13 in Toledo on Sept., 27, 1997.
Nevada's Chris Lemon rushed for 105 yards in the game at Toledo. Pack quarterback Mike Maxwell passed for 434 yards (38-of-57) in the game at Mackay Stadium and for 330 yards (27-of-49) in the Las Vegas Bowl meeting.
The Las Vegas Bowl game between Nevada and Toledo was a historic meeting. It is the first overtime game in the history of the Football Bowl Sub-division. Toledo's Wasean Tait rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. The Wolf Pack's Alex Van Dyke caught 14 passes for 176 yards, Kin Minor scored two rushing touchdowns and Damon Shea kicked three field goals, including the one to send the game into overtime.
“We are very excited to add Purdue and Toledo to our future schedules,” said Nevada coach Brian Polian, whose father, Bill Polian, worked for the Indianapolis Colts (near Purdue) for many years. “These two programs have a history of football success and we look forward to competing against both programs."
Nevada now has four non-conference games on the schedule for each season through 2016.
- 2013: at UCLA (Aug. 31), vs UC Davis (Sept. 14), at Florida State (Sept. 21), vs. BYU (Nov. 30).
- 2014: vs Southern Utah (Aug. 30), vs. Washington State (Sept. 6), at Arizona (Sept. 13), at BYU (Oct. 18).
- 2015: vs. UC Davis (Sept. 5), vs. Arizona (Sept. 12), at UCLA (Sept. 19), at South Florida (Oct. 3).
- 2016: at Cal (Sept. 3), vs. Cal Poly (Sept. 10), vs. UCLA (Sept. 17), at Purdue (Sept. 24).
