Sac State loses heartbreaker to FBS-level Nevada in game’s final seconds
The game was theirs, within grasp, and then it suddenly wasn’t.
Sacramento State had a chance to run out the clock with a 4-point lead in Reno against Nevada on Saturday afternoon, but Cardell Williams was hit on a passing attempt, and Jonathan Maldonado intercepted it and returned it 36 yards into the end zone with 2:17 left to play to punctuate a 20-17 victory for the Wolf Pack at Mackay Stadium.
The FCS-level Hornets still had a shot to topple FBS-level Nevada, driving downfield behind Williams, who took over for starting quarterback Jaden Rashada after he was knocked out of the game with a blow to the head in the first quarter.
Sac State scored two touchdowns on that final drive in the final minute but both plays were nullified by holding calls, and then more despair ensued. The Hornets missed a 41-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining, wide right, and Nevada players celebrated in evening their record at 1-1 after opening with a loss at No. 2-ranked Penn State.
Sacramento State fell to 0-2, losing its opener at FCS No. 3-ranked South Dakota State, but the Hornets showed grit in nearly toppling an FBS team for the second time in three years, having stunned host Stanford in 2023.
Hornets first-year coach Brennan Marion told media after the game that the pick-6 late was “a bad decision by me.”
The coach added that he was impressed by his team’s resolve.
“I thought we did a good job going down and scoring twice,” he said. “They didn’t count. Obviously, you have to decisively beat a team when you play FCS-FBS games. I thought the guys did a good job responding.”
Marion said he kept Rashada out for the rest of the game “for safety precautionary reasons,” adding, “He’s a tough kid. He wanted to go back in the game. Proud of his toughness. I mean, there was like three targeting calls in the first half. I don’t know what that’s all about.”
Sac State led 7-0 after the first quarter and 17-13 at the half.
Williams, a transfer from Tulsa, completed 11 of 14 passes for 158 yards, and he hit Ernest Campbell for a 75-yard scoring play with 43 seconds left in the half. It was Campbell’s first reception as a Hornet after his transfer from Texas A&M. Marion said Williams “brought the juice, brought energy.”
Williams scampered 9 yards into the end zone for what the Hornets thought was the winner with 24 seconds to play before everyone noticed the flag. His touchdown pass to Damian Henderson II seconds later was also wiped out because of a holding penalty.
Nevada quarterback Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, passed for 155 yards with two interceptions to Koa Akui. Purdy also rushed 22 times for a game-high 115 yards and a score to push Nevada’s all-time series lead over the Hornets to 18-9. Saturday marked the first meeting between the programs since 2004 and just the second since 1991.
Sac State had 372 yards of offense, 146 of those on the ground. The Hornets host Mercyhurst of Erie, Pennsylvania, at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 13 at Hornet Stadium, for their home opener.
“Our team believes that we’re a really good football team,” Marion said. “Our confidence continues to grow. Our toughness shows every time we step on the field. We’ll be OK. Our goals are still out in front of us. Our goal is to win the Big Sky Conference championship and then go to the playoffs.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM.