RENO, Nev. (AP) — Jonathan Maldonado returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown with 2:17 to play and Nevada defeated Sacramento State 20-17 on Saturday after the Hornets had touchdowns on consecutive plays in the last minute nullified by penalties before they missed a field goal.

Sacramento State quickly marched from its 35 to the Nevada 3 with 29 seconds to go. On a third down, quarterback Cardell Williams scampered nine yards for the apparent go-ahead score but a holding penalty wiped that out. Williams then threw a touchdown pass from the 19 that was wiped out by a penalty. The Hornets then ran a play to set up a 41-yard field goal attempt that Grant Meadors missed to the right.

Nevada quarterback Chubba Purdy threw two interceptions but he rushed for 115 yards on 22 carries and scored a touchdown. The Wolf Pack (1-1) rushed for 268 yards and Purdy threw for 144.

The Wolf Pack defense hounded Sacramento State's backfield much of the game, recording three sacks and seven tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Dylan Labarbera led the way with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFLs, while Maldonado shared a sack and added 1.5 TFLs.

Nevada's announced crowd of 20,535 was its second-largest opening-day turnout since 2016. The Pack stays home for a second-straight week coming up, hosting Middle Tennessee next Saturday at 2 p.m.

Williams was 10-of-13 passing for 151 for Sacramento State (0-2), which finished with 372 yards. He threw a touchdown pass to Ernest Campbell and Rodney Hammond Jr. had a rushing score.

After recording seven sacks in its loss last week at South Dakota State, the Hornet defense was shutout by the Wolf Pack offensive line.