By the time Ejiro Ederaine caught up to the play, Fresno State was in trouble.
Kurt Palandech, the UNLV quarterback, had just raced 39 yards onto the Bulldogs’ side of the football field, from the 25 past midfield and to the 36 before safety Dalen Jones and cornerback Jamal Ellis could get him to the ground. The Rebels were close enough there and had enough time on the clock to start plotting; a field goal to tie or a touchdown to win and snatch a victory away from the home team, which had scored 17 points, unanswered at that point, to come back from a two-touchdown deficit in the third quarter.