Ajayi carries Boise State past Nevada, 51-46

RENO, Nev. -- Jay Ajayi had 116 of his 152 rushing yards in the second half and Boise State withstood a Nevada comeback for a 51-46 victory on Saturday night.

Ajayi added touchdown runs of 1, 26 and 2 yards in the second half for the Broncos, (4-2, 2-1 Mountain West).

Boise State intercepted Cody Fajardo four times, each leading to touchdowns, but turned the ball over three times itself.

Fajardo passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted three times in the firsts half, including a pick six by Tyler Gray, which gave the Broncos the lead 23-21. On the ensuing drive, Donte Deayon intercepted a Fajardo pass and the Broncos expanded their lead to 30-21 three plays later with Grant Hedrick taking it in from 2 yards out.

Hedrick finished with 26 of 31 for 346 yards and two touchdowns.

Fajardo finished 23 of 43 for 306 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for two touchdowns, and rallied the Wolf Pack (3-2, 1-1 Mountain West) from 18 points down in the second half.

Fajardo scored on a 56-yard run to cut the Boise lead to 37-29 with 10:53 left in the third quarter, but Ajayi came back with a 26-yard touchdown run on the next drive.

Nevada again pulled to within a touchdown when Ian Seay batted a Hedrick pass into the air, caught it and returned it 32 yards for a score to make it 44-36 with 14:18 left in the game.

But again, Nevada couldn't contain Ajayi, who set up his final touchdown with a 74-yard run, scoring two plays later from 2 yards out.

Nevada cut it to 51-43 on a 12-yard strike from Fajardo to Jarred Gipson and made it 51-46 on a 45-yard field goal by Brett Zuzo.

The Nevada defense forced a three-and-out by the Broncos in the final two minutes, but could not score.

The Broncos finished with 570 yards of total offense, while the Wolf Pack had 462.

yards, setting up the final touchdown with a 74-yard run.

The Broncos finished with 570 yards of total offense, while the Wolf Pack had 462.