Nathan Brown /Nevada Sagebrush

Rams cornerback DeAndre Elliott (13) intercepts a pass in the end zone to seal a win for the Rams on Saturday, Oct. 11. The game-ending play came on a third-and-five play from the Rams’ 10-yard line.

by Stone Harper

A big-game aura filled Mackay Stadium as fans piled in for the Wolf Pack’s game against Colorado State. The Rams came into the game 4-1, including victories over Colorado and Boston College. The Rams were the only team in the Mountain West Conference with victories over two power-five conference opponents, while Nevada was looking to rebound after a crushing defeat to Boise State last week.

As soon as the game started, the feelings went from excitement to sadness as the Nevada fans started pouring out of the stadium after the Rams took a 31-10 lead into the final quarter. The Nevada defense could not stop Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson and wide receiver Rashard Higgins. The senior quarterback had 326 passing yards and three touchdowns, with 198 of those yards going to Higgins.

“Unfortunately, we had some defenders who were doing their own stuff,” said Nevada head coach Brian Polian. “We had a couple of times where the defensive backfield were not on the same page.”

The offensive side of the ball was similarly ineffective, as quarterback Cody Fajardo failed to find his groove through the first three quarters, passing for only 119 yards. Wolf Pack receivers also struggled against the Rams’ man-to-man coverage.

That all changed in the fourth quarter when everything started clicking for the Silver and Blue. The defense was able to force a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Lenny Jones and seemed to be the spark the defense needed.

“I feel like the team fed off of that and we picked it from there,” Jones said.

Fajardo accounted for 178 of his 297 passing yards and threw both of his touchdowns in the final quarter. The rally slashed the deficit to seven. With two minutes and change, Nevada had the ball and threatened to even up the score. At one point the game seemed to be tied after Fajardo found wide receiver Jerico Richardson for a 63-yard score, but a pass interference penalty wiped the touchdown. In spite of the setback, the Wolf Pack drove to Colorado State’s 10-yard line.

Fajardo lobbed a pass into the end zone intended for the 6-foot-5 Hasaan Henderson, but was intercepted by Rams’ defensive back DeAndre Elliot. A flag was thrown, but was called on Henderson for pass interference, sealing the game.

“Obviously I am incredibly frustrated by the outside influences that had their finger prints all over the end of the game,”Polian said, hinting at the referees. “I thought we had the ball first and goal with the ball on the four, trying to go in to tie the game.”

The loss sends Nevada to 3-3 (1-2 MW) before facing BYU on Saturday. Despite the mark, the Wolf Pack remains just a game behind Hawaii for the MWC West division lead.

Stone Harper can be reached at sharper@sagebrush.unr.edu.