RENO -- Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald expects Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe to end up in the NFL but it was the Wolf Pack defense that came up big, forcing five turnovers and blocking a field goal enroute to their first ever victory over a Big Ten school.

Nevada cornerback Joe Garcia returned his second interception of the game 24 yards for a touchdown with 2:14 left last Friday to help hold off the Wildcats 31-21.And while the Wolf Pack was pulling off that major victory, UNLV, 1-2, was idle last week. The Rebels will host the Wolf Pack in the annual intrastate shootout at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Rowe completed 17 of 22 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Robert Hubbard ran for a career-best 156 yards and two scores for the Wolf Pack (2-2), the defending co-champions of the Western Athletic Conference who are 12-2 at home since coach Chris Ault took over in 2004.

"It's a big step for us as a WAC team,'' Garcia said. "It says a lot about our program. It is a great feeling right now.''

Freshman quarterback Mike Kafka ran for 111 yards on 12 carries, but completed only nine of 21 passes for 122 yards and threw three interceptions for Northwestern (2-2).

"I thought they were very fast defense,'' Kafka said. "They did some things we game planned for, and some things we didn't. But I think they are a very good defense.''

It marked the first time a Big Ten school had ever played at Nevada, which intercepted three passes and forced two fumbles. The only other time the Wolf Pack faced a Big Ten team was a 35-17 loss at Wisconsin in 1993.

"You open 0-2 and you are just digging out every week,'' said Ault, the school's all-time winningest coach now in his third stint in the job.

"It takes an awful lot of attitude to dig out of that. It's a credit to our kids. That was two bowl teams we beat,'' he said.

Hubbard averaged 4.9 yards on 32 carries and caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

``That was a yeoman's job,'' Ault said. ``And you have to give some of the credit to the offensive front.''

Rowe, a 6-foot-5 senior, completed 13 of his first 16 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns before the half and Northwestern turned the ball over three times in a 7-minute span in the first quarter as Nevada opened a 24-14 halftime lead.

``He's (Rowe) an NFL caliber player,'' Fitzgerald said. ``He's capable of making big plays. He's a great talent, and he runs the offense extremely well.''

UNLV-Nevada

Who: UNLV's Rebels will host the University of Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack

When: Saturday at 7 p.m.

Where: in Sam Boyd Stadium.

Coaches: The Rebels, coached by Mike Sanford, are 1-2, while Chris Ault's Wolf Pack is 2-2 this season. Lifetime, Ault is 179-75-1 and ranks fifth all-time among active coaches.

Last Week: The Wolf Pack defeated Northwestern of the Big Ten, 31-21. UNLV was idle.

This Season: Nevada has lost at Fresno State, 28-19; lost at Arizona State, 52-21; won at home against Colorado State, 28-10, and defeated Northwestern. UNLV defeated Idaho State 54-10 at home, but lost 16-10 at Iowa State and 42-13 at Hawaii.

Series History: Nevada leads 16-15, including a 22-14 victory on Sept.17, 2005, at Mackay Stadium. At stake is the Fremont Cannon.