Nevada vs. Colorado State: Score and Reaction for 2015 Arizona Bowl

The Nevada Wolf Pack overcame a late deficit to defeat the Colorado State Rams 28-23 in the final minutes of the inaugural Arizona Bowl on Tuesday at Arizona Stadium to secure their second straight plus-.500 season and first bowl win since 2011.   

After losing the lead with 1:06 to play, the Rams were halted at the 13-yard line as time expired while they were mounting a comeback drive but couldn’t get the spike off.   

The Rams went 76 yards on eight plays in 58 seconds—a testament to their resiliency—but were ultimately struck by the clock after wide receiver Jordon Vaden attempted to drive up the field and score rather than go out of bounds.

Matt L. Stephens of the Coloradoan attributed an unfortunate mental lack of execution at the end as what prevented CSU from getting a final attempt at the end zone:

Nevada running back James Butler scored the game-winning touchdown four yards out with 1:06 to play to secure the victory in one of many remarkable showcases the sophomore put on Tuesday.

Butler finished with a season-high 189 yards on 24 carries with two scores in his eighth game eclipsing the century mark.

Colorado State took a 23-22 lead, only its second of the game, and kept it close throughout. The Rams were the first to reach the end zone but were ultimately plagued by Butler’s best game of the season.

While his dagger in the final minutes was paramount in the outcome, Butler's 77-yard scamper to score in the second was just as exciting, as shown by the Mountain West Conference:

Aside from Butler, the Wolf Pack churned out an additional 82 yards, courtesy backup running back Don Jackson and quarterback Tyler Stewart, who finished in the passing game just 6-of-13 for 74 yards.

Rams quarterback Nick Stevens played much better, finishing 22-of-42 for 310 yards but zero touchdowns. Colorado State also had 222 yards and two scores from five rushers.

The Rams were destined to take a step back from a 10-3 season after Jim McElwain took the job as Florida's head coach last offseason. But things looked bad early in the 2015 season after CSU started 2-4 with a pair of overtime losses, including one to archrival Colorado.

Yet the Rams got on a roll in the final stretch—winning five straight entering Tuesday—and despite a gut-wrenching loss, they should feel solace in hiring head coach Mike Bobo, who set a slew of offensive records and competed for championships at Georgia.

Nevada finishes the season 7-6 for the second straight year and captured its fifth bowl game in program history in 15 appearances, riding into the offseason with momentum to build on in 2016.