This is the Depth Dossier: the Nevada Wolf Pack, Week 7.

Nevada had this one, and then two bizarre special teams sequences turned a winnable road game into a 31 to 17 loss at North Dakota State.

The Wolf Pack jumped out to an 11 to nothing lead, and then just watched it disappear under 19 unanswered points before halftime. Quarterback AJ Bianco, starting in place of the injured Carter Jones, threw for 190 yards and a touchdown, but his two interceptions hung over the whole game. Wide receiver Gary Givens the third hauled in a one-handed touchdown grab in the third quarter that pulled Nevada within two, but the two-point conversion try got picked off and returned the other way for two points, and that was basically the ballgame. Nevada ran for just 96 yards and held the ball for under 22 minutes while North Dakota State controlled the line of scrimmage all night.

Let's get into the play that really broke this game open. With Nevada still clinging to its lead at the end of the first half, kicker Joe McFadden lined up for a 57-yard field goal. It came up short, and North Dakota State's Jackson Williams ran it back a hundred yards for a touchdown. That's not just a missed field goal costing three points. It's a missed field goal costing seven points, plus the possession Nevada needed to answer. An 11-point lead turned into an 8-point halftime deficit on one snap.

Then came the gut punch in the third quarter. Givens' 19-yard touchdown catch was a terrific individual play and had Nevada two points from tying it. Instead, the two-point attempt got intercepted and returned 74 yards the other way. Between those two plays alone, Nevada gave up nine points on special teams and conversion plays that never show up as a normal box score line, but functionally decided the game.

The time of possession tells the rest of the story. North Dakota State held the ball for 38 minutes and 9 seconds to Nevada's 21 minutes and 51 seconds, and ran for 192 yards against a Wolf Pack defense that ranks near the bottom of the country at creating disruptive plays. Linebackers Jeremy Naborne-Owens and EJ Smith combined for 25 tackles, but that kind of heavy tackling against a team that just keeps moving the chains is more symptom than solution. And Bianco's two interceptions came against a North Dakota State offense that didn't turn it over once, which extends a real problem for Nevada. The Wolf Pack now sit at minus eight in turnover margin, fourth worst in the country.

Now, on to who's up and who's down heading into next week.

No specific injury details have come out about quarterback Carter Jones, so his status is worth confirming before anyone assumes the job has changed hands.

Bianco's first start in Jones' place was a mixed bag. He went 17 for 34, 190 yards, a passing touchdown, and added a 15-yard rushing score, but those two interceptions fed right into Nevada's turnover trouble. If Jones is out again, it's Bianco's ball security, not his arm, that's worth watching.

Givens' one-handed touchdown was the best individual moment of the night for Nevada, and a three-catch, 50-yard, one-touchdown performance should keep him featured in the passing game no matter who's throwing it.

On defense, Naborne-Owens and Smith's tackle numbers suggest both are locked into real roles at linebacker. But the bigger issue is schematic. A defense that can't get after the passer is going to keep bleeding time and yardage to teams that want to run the ball, the way North Dakota State just did. Nothing is official on any personnel changes up front, but if the pass rush doesn't pick up, expect more scrutiny on the defensive line rotation. And after Saturday, you can bet Nevada's special teams, especially the decision-making on long field goal attempts, is going to get a hard look too.

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