LAS VEGAS -- Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez emerged from the near-darkness of the Badgers locker room and took a seat under the end zone bleachers of UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium.

"I guess if you live long enough you see everything," said Alvarez.

Or in the case of Saturday evening's abbreviated game against UNLV, you don't see much of anything. That's because a transformer malfunctioned and caused the stadium lights to flicker on and off. . . and then off for good with 7:41 remaining in the game and Wisconsin ahead, 27-7. And that's how it ended: in the darkness, with fans mingling with players on the field, with the Badgers ahead by 20 points.

"[Someone] asked, 'How could you call the game?'" said UNLV coach John Robinson. "Technical knockout in the fourth quarter. We were out of the game. In the best interest of the athletes we called the game."

Robinson and Alvarez met with game officials near midfield shortly after the blackout. The possibility of resuming play was discussed, but only if the lights began working within a 5-minute period of time.

"I think [referee Clair Gausman] was praying God would intervene and turn the lights back on," Robinson said.

"There was no chance," said Alvarez.

With that, Alvarez and Robinson, along with Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson and the MWC's Gausman, decided to call it a night.

"It wasn't as though a conference title was involved," said Robinson.

Wisconsin improved to 2-0, while UNLV dropped to 0-1.

Of course, not everyone was thrilled with the decision. Could UNLV have overtaken the Badgers in the last 7:41?

"Yeah, we got to think like that," said Vegas quarterback Jason Thomas, as he dressed in a locker room dimly lit by several flashlights. "If the lights came back on, I was ready to play. I would have waited in here for 30 minutes to play again."

The players and coaches weren't the only one affected by the early ending. Bettors who had taken the Badgers in the game -- and there was a considerable number of Wisconsin fans who made the trip to Las Vegas -- found themselves holding worthless tickets. According to the governing rules of Nevada Sports Books, a college of NFL game that ends before 55 minutes of play isn't considered an official game. So, anyone who bet the Badgers merely got a refund and anyone who bet UNLV was spared a sure loss. The spread ranged anywhere from Wisconsin by three to seven points and the over/under ranged from 52 to 58 points.

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.