Logan » Utah State has half a defense at this point in new coach Gary Andersen's tenure at USU.

Half as in, good enough to bottle up Nevada's physical offense for a half; even into the third quarter. But not good enough to make it stick for a full 60 minutes.

The Aggie defense wilted visibly down the stretch of Saturday's 35-32 loss to the Wolf Pack at Romney Stadium. USU's defenders weren't helped by an offense that went limp for a long stretch in the second half -- after exploding for three touchdowns in the opening 23 minutes. But it's hard to escape the fact that Utah State gave up nearly 200 yards in the fourth quarter and 502 for the game.

It has to be painful for Andersen, a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in his previous stop at the University of Utah. But it is also the reality of taking on a downtrodden football program. The Aggies simply don't have the depth or playmakers on the defensive side of the ball yet -- the kind that can make a key stop when the game is on the line.

"It's not a lack of want-to," said Andersen, whose team slid to 1-5, 0-2 in the WAC.

Signs of trouble emerged late in the third quarter. Facing third-and-10 at the USU 40, Nevada's lanky 6-foot-6 quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, got loose and scrambled for 14 yards, setting up the touchdown that pulled the Wolf Pack to within 24-21.

"It was a big momentum swing," said Andersen. "They were able to capitalize on an opportunity. We need to be able to capitalize on opportunities."

It's tough to do that when the empty fuel light is on. Nevada almost completely owned the final quarter.

Chewing up big chunks of yardage on the ground, Nevada needed just four plays to extend its advantage to 35-24. And even after USU rallied to close back to within 35-32 with 2:35 to play, the Aggies could not stop the Pack from picking up a pair of first downs to salt the game away.

Nevada rushed for 313 total yards. Running backs Taua Vai and Luke Lippincott combined for 254 yards;. Kaepernick picked up 77 on the ground.

"We rolled eight kids through [in the defensive line]," said Andersen. "They played as hard as they could. But they were playing against good people, and against a quarterback who is unbelievably hard to bring down."

jbaird@sltrib.com