Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo (17) eludes a BYU tackler on Saturday, Oct. 18. Fajardo finished the game with 285 passing yards a touchdown, 47 yards rushing and three total touchdowns.

By Chris Boline

The rumblings that Cody Fajardo is not an elite quarterback got significantly quieter after Saturday night.

The senior quarterback, who had recently come under fire for not performing when it matters most, proved many of his doubters wrong with a stellar performance against BYU. With Nevada’s season at a tipping point, Fajardo rose to the occasion by racking 332 total yards and three combined touchdowns. While the quarterback did have another great game, he picked up the stat that mattered most: a victory.

With the Wolf Pack now sitting at 4-3 on the season and momentum on its side after winning its biggest road game since knocking off Cal in 2012, Nevada has a prime chance to run its way to the school’s first Mountain West title game. While this road certainly won’t be a cakewalk, the Pack has a golden opportunity to secure a berth in the championship bout if they excel in the following three situations:

Fajardo needs to be consistent: The quarterback was the key in Nevada’s victory against BYU and he will be the key for the rest of the year. Down by 15 points at halftime, the Wolf Pack offense could have easily wilted against the bigger BYU defense, but it rallied behind its quarterback. In the second half, Nevada dominated by outscoring the Cougars 29-7. Fajardo set the tone with two fourth-quarter scores. First was an 18-yard dagger to wide receiver Richy Turner to tie the game. Then Fajardo dropped the hammer by scampering in from 25 yards out to take the lead. For Nevada to be successful, he needs to mitigate his turnovers and put the ball in the hands of the Pack playmakers. He has the stats, he has the records and now he just needs the wins.

Front seven needs to clamp down: Even though Nevada was able to knock off BYU on the road, it wasn’t pretty. The Cougars racked up an absurd amount of yardage against the Wolf Pack, 601 to be exact. If it wasn’t for a couple of key turnovers, Nevada would be sitting at below .500. However, this wasn’t the case Saturday night and, if the front seven can do its part the rest of the year, Nevada will have a great chance to run the table. They don’t have to be the “Steel Curtain” or “The Fearsome Foursome” but they absolutely do need to keep opposing offenses under 500 yards total offense.

Keep winning turnover battle: One of the underrated storylines for Nevada this season has been its efficiency with takeaways. The Wolf Pack has recovered eight fumbles this season (already tied with the final tally from last year), intercepted seven passes and currently maintains an impressive turnover margin (+8). This trend was extremely clear last Saturday against BYU. Nevada forced three fumbles (including the one that sealed the game) and scored 30 points off of the Cougars’ turnovers. If the Wolf Pack can keep up this pace, it will be hard to beat, especially considering the combined record of Nevada’s remaining opponents sits at a pedestrian 16-20.

Chris Boline can be reached at cboline@sagebrush.unr.edu.