No. 15 Boise States holds off late Nevada charge

• Nevada was unable to convert a hail mary on the game's final play
• Boise State held a 24-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter
• Nevada running back Stefphon Jefferson set the program's single-season record for rushing touchdowns

RENO, Nev. - Wolf Pack quarterback Cody Fajardo cocked his arm, unleashed a pass and hoped for a Mackay Stadium miracle.

But whatever magic was left behind from Nevada's thrilling win over rival Boise State in 2010, the last time these teams met in Reno, had already washed away.

It dissolved after another sluggish first half by Nevada and a series of crucial mistakes that cost the Wolf Pack in a 27-21 loss to the Broncos on Saturday afternoon.

On the final play of the game, Fajardo attempted a 60-yard Hail Mary. But the pass was batted down by defensive back Darian Thompson, triggering a celebration along the Boise State sidelines and a collective groan among the sold-out crowd of 30,017 fans at Mackay Stadium.

"It was a prayer ball basically, a Hail Mary, but it didn't work out for us this time," Fajardo said.

The Wolf Pack was left to regret a handful of mistakes the cost the team the victory.

Chief among them was tight end Zach Sudfeld's fumble at the cusp of the goal line midway through the second half.

The potential touchdown, which would have narrowed Nevada's deficit to 24-14, turned into a crucial turnover. Sudfeld had a 47-yard reception that set up the Wolf Pack's final touchdown, but his fumble was a game-changing play.

"You look and we lost by six and there's six points right there," Sudfeld said. "It was a mistake by me. It's pretty devastating. You feel like you let your teammates down, especially the seniors, the guys I grew up with here. But that's football and that's life. You have to keep moving forward and keep fighting."

Sudfeld's miscue was far from the team's only mistake. The Wolf Pack defense blew two coverages in the secondary that led to touchdowns – a 52-yard catch by Matt Miller and a 17-yard catch by Chris Potter – and dropped three potential interceptions.

"Those were touchdown mistakes," Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault said. "You can make a first-down mistake. You can make a third-down mistake. But you can't make touchdown mistakes in a game like this. They didn't make those and we did. That's the difference."

The Wolf Pack's mistakes, many in the second, were even more devastating because of Nevada's poor first half. Nevada trailed 17-0 at halftime and has been out-scored 61-7 in the first half of the past three games between these teams.

Nevada also trailed by 17 points at halftime in the 2010 win over Boise State. Senior offensive tackle Jeff Nady said the rally fell just a few minutes short.

"It's another tale-of-two-halves type game and we just needed a little more time on the clock," Nady said.

The Wolf Pack failed to score 30 points for the first time this season. Running back Stefphon Jefferson rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns and Fajardo shook off a slow start to complete 14-of-20 passes for 203 yards and carry the ball 15 times for 81 yards and a score.

The Wolf Pack defense struggled on third down – the Broncos completed 9-of-15, including several third-and-long situations – and gave up two touchdowns on mental breakdowns, but played one of its stronger games of the season.

"The whole time I felt like we were in that game," said linebacker Albert Rosette, who had 15 tackles, including two for loss. "We needed just one big play on defense or offense to swing the momentum a little bit. But especially in the second half, I felt like we were in that game and could have won."

Nevada (7-5, 4-4 Mountain West) fell to 2-4 at Mackay Stadium this season, marking the first time in Ault's 28 years as a head coach that he's had a losing record at home. Boise State (10-2, 7-1) won a share of the conference title along with Fresno State and San Diego State and hit double figures in wins for the seventh straight season.

The Broncos didn't erase the memory of the 2010 game – a 34-31 overtime win by Nevada that cost Boise State a Rose Bowl appearance – but they leave with a positive memory in what could be the final game in this rivalry, which dates to 1971.

"It's better than last time we were here," Boise State coach Chris Petersen joked.

The Wolf Pack, which will play a to-be-determined opponent in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 15, is left to think about what might have been. Nevada took two home losses after leading by double-digits in the fourth quarter earlier this year and let a few ill-timed mistakes cost them a win over Boise State.

"A couple of plays here or there, we could have had a couple more wins or a couple more losses," Rosette said. "It could have gone either way. This group, we might not play great football all the time, but these guys don't quit. It's a good group of guys. Every game we've played has been a four-quarter game and we came up just short in this one."

Chris Murray also writes for the Reno Gazette-Journal