Nevada Wolf Pack Football

The University of Nevada Wolf Pack remained undefeated in conference play yesterday with a win over Hawaii 42-28 in Mackay Stadium.

Nevada is now 4-0 in the WAC and is alone at the top. With a 6-3 record, the Wolf Pack have won their last five games with freshman QB Cody Fajardo having earned the starting job over senior Tyler Lantrip who began the season as the starter.

The Wolf Pack had 528 yards of total offense as Fajardo was 25-for-36 through the air for 290 yards and three TD. The speedy QB also rushed for another TD, his 11th of the season. Rishard Matthews led Nevada's receiving corps with 8 catches for 188 yards and two TD. Lampford Mark led the Wolf Pack rushing attack with 24 carries for 105 yards and a score.

It was a costly game for Hawaii, as QB Bryant Moniz was sidelined with what appeared to be a significant lower leg injury. The Warriors have suffered significantly with injuries this season, which is a major reason why their season has not lived up to expectations. Hawaii was the preseason pick to win the WAC.

With three games left, Nevada controls its destiny. They face La Tech at home next week and this could be their toughest game since facing Boise State in Week 4. La Tech is playing well and is 4-1 in conference play having won their last five games.

An away game to Utah State follows the week after and finally Nevada closes out the season against Idaho at home. A 9-3 season and an outright WAC Championship is Nevada's to lose at this point. Next week's game at home is, in essence, the WAC championship.

It was a wild game to say the least. With over 1,100 yards of combined total offense, the Nevada Wolf Pack prevailed over the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday in a game that was the college football version of the Ali-Frazier "Thrilla in Manila".

The first half saw two evenly matched teams answering each other score for score. The Aggies had a 27-20 half time lead. Nevada had no answer for the Aggies prolific air attack in the first half. But the second half saw the Wolf Pack make adjustments on defense that held the Aggies to only one score while the Wolf Pack scored four times in the second half.

Ponder these stats. Nevada had 683 yards of total offense to New Mexico's 514. The Aggies had an amazing 466 yards passing to the Wolf Pack's 309. Nevada rushed for 374 yards while holding the Aggies to 48 rushing yards.

New Mexico had 11 penalties for 85 yards  while Nevada had seven for 58 yards. The Aggies also turned the ball over three times on interceptions while Nevada had one fumble lost.

Nevada Freshman QB Cody Fajardo was 19 for 29 through the air for 283 yards and rushed 13 times for 60 yards and four TD's. Lampford Mark only had eight carries but made the most of them rushing for 185 yards and one TD. Mike Ball had 19 carries for 93 yards and re-injured his left ankle. Stephon Jefferson had 4 rushes for 31 yards and two TD's.

DL Jack Reynoso appeared to suffer a significant leg injury, possibly a fracture as he was carted off the field and was seen in a splint later.

5-3 Nevada is the only undefeated team in the WAC and their 3-0 in-conference record places them alone at the top of the WAC standings. They have come a long way since Week 1. They face Idaho, Hawaii, LA Tech and Utah State in remaining games and if they continue to improve may earn their second consecutive WAC Championship. Most importantly, Nevada has a phenomenal freshman QB in Fajardo.

It's safe to say the Nevada Wolf Pack have found the heir apparent to Colin Kaepernick. Red-shirt freshman Cody Fajardo now appears to have a solid grasp on the starting job after leading Nevada to its third straight win, defeating the Fresno State Bulldogs today 45-38 in Reno.

Nevada is now 4-3 and undefeated in conference play.

Alone atop the WAC, the Wolf Pack have solidified under a dual-threat QB with a Kaepernick-like style. After senior QB Tyler Lantrip started the season, Fajardo now has the starting job to himself.

Opening 1-3 in four road games—including three against ranked teams—Nevada is now on a roll and could conceivably win the WAC Championship. They are a much better team seven weeks into the season than they were in Week 1 against Oregon or Week 4 against Boise State.

Nevada managed 568 yards of total offense to Fresno's 522, 313 passing yards compared to Fresno's 315; and 255 yards rushing compared to Fresno's 207.

Nevada continued to hurt itself, however, with eight penalties for 89 yards, but they did manage to recover two fumbles.

Fajardo was 19-for-27 through the air for 313 yards and one TD, while he carried the ball 17 times for 61 yards and another TD. Junior RB Mike Ball had a career day with 25 carries for 183 yards and a score. His longest run was 41 yards. Rishard Matthews had seven receptions for 148 yards and returned yet another punt for a score.

It appears downhill for Nevada now, as they are the only undefeated team in the WAC. They still have tough games against a stout Utah State team and Hawaii, but it now looks increasingly likely that Nevada might just finish their stint in the WAC with back-to-back championships.

The Nevada Wolf Pack dominated New Mexico today in a lopsided win, 49-7. The last time the two teams met was in the 2007 New Mexico Bowl when the Lobos shut out Nevada.

The Wolf Pack amassed 598 yards of offense. Freshman quarterback Cody Fajardo went 20-of-25 passing for 203 yards and one interception. He did rush for two touchdowns.

Stephon Jefferson led Nevada's 338-yard rushing game with 14 carries for 108 yards and one TD. Lampford Mark had nine carries for 39 yards, but he punched in three rushing TDs.

Nevada continued to play sloppy football and had three turnovers and nine penalties for 75 yards. But the Wolf Pack defense was stifling and held the Lobos scoreless until late in the game. Nevada scored a defensive touchdown on a Marlon Johnson fumble recovery.

Nevada 3-3, has now won two in a row and scored 86 points in their last two games while holding opponents to only 7 points. After a rough first four weeks that saw the Wolf Pack face Oregon, Texas Tech and Boise State on the road, the Wolf Pack now faces conference teams for the remainder of the season.

At 1-0 in conference play, Nevada is atop the WAC and a conference championship remains a possibility. A few weeks ago, that did not seem possible.

The Wolf Pack faces Fresno State at home next week. The two teams have both faced Boise State. Nevada fared better against the Broncos than the Bulldogs did holding BSU to its lowest point total of the season.

The University of Nevada Wolf Pack returned home to Reno to face intrastate rival UNLV today.

The Pack has had a rough start to the season with four consecutive road games, two of which were against Top 5 teams.

After being blown out by Oregon in Week 1, Nevada managed to defeat San Jose State in Week 2. They had Texas Tech on the ropes for most of the game in Week 3, but let the game slip away in the final seconds to lose 35-34. Week 4 saw the Wolf Pack get outclassed by the Boise State Broncos in a 30-10 defeat.

So today's first home game against their primary rival was very important. The Wolf Pack took all their frustrations out on the Runnin' Rebels in a dominating performance and won 37-0.

The stats are astonishing. The Pack rushed for 236 yards, passed for 459 and amassed 695 yards of total offense.

UNLV was held to 102 yards rushing and eight yards passing. Nevada had 31 first downs and converted on third downs on 9-of-14 attempts. UNLV only had seven first downs and converted on only 1-of-14 third downs.

The Wolf Pack used two QBs. Freshman Cody Fajardo started the game and was 11-for-15 for 93 yards. He had no TDs and threw two interceptions. 

Senior QB Tyler Lantrip saw a lot of playing time and performed much better than he had in the first four games which he started. Lantrip, who continues to wear a glove on his throwing hand, was 18-for-29 for 366 yards and three TDs with one interception.

Rishard Matthews led Nevada receivers and had a career best day with 10 catches for 220 yards and one TD. He had his longest career reception going 90 yards for a score. It was his best day since his breakout game in the win over Boise State last year.

Stephon Johnson carried the ball for the Pack and had 100 yards on 17 carries. Mike Ball saw no action and Lampford Mark also carried the ball.

It was a sloppy game overall. Nevada had five turnovers, while UNLV had two. Nevada had five penalties for 35 yards compared to UNLV's five for 38 yards.

The Pack defense was impressive. LBs James Michael Johnson and Brandon Marshall continued to dazzle. But the defensive monster today was Brett Roy who had five solo tackles, three assists, three tackles for loss and a sack. Roy is among the top five defensive linemen in the nation.

Some commentators seemed surprised by Nevada's dominating performance. Their record coming into the game certainly suggested they were not very good. But looking a little deeper at their first four games, it becomes clear that Nevada may not be as bad as their 1-3 start suggests.

Yes, they were pretty pathetic against Oregon. But against San Jose State, they actually dominated the game. They had Texas Tech down 21-7 at one point, and really should have won that game.

Even last week in Boise with a dreadful offense, the Pack held Boise to its lowest point total, 30, and narrowest margin of victory this year, 20. Even Georgia couldn't do that. BSU beat Fresno State 57-7 yesterday.

My point is this: Nevada has a decent and improving defense. Let's see if anybody else can hold Boise State to 30 points this season.

Finally, the early road trip is turning out to be a blessing in disguise. Compared to Oregon, Texas Tech and Boise State, UNLV had to be welcome relief. The Pack will not face any other ranked teams from here on out. They are currently 1-0 in the WAC, and resume conference play next week.

Now, UNLV demolished Hawaii, the early season pick to win the WAC. Nevada dominated UNLV. Fresno State was blasted by BSU 57-7. Nevada held BSU to 30 points.

So here's the way I see things shaping up: Nevada is clearly not on the same level as the Oregon's and Boise States, but among the second tier, they are very competitive.

I think Nevada will fare well against their WAC competition. Thus far, Utah State looks to be playing good football and could be a challenge.  I think Nevada has gained a lot confidence and will now enjoy a string of wins and will improve their record.

The Nevada Wolf Pack are now 2-3. I still think a 9-3 season and an outright WAC championship is possible. Now who would have thought that after Week 1?

The University of Nevada Wolf Pack notched a win yesterday over San Jose State in Spartan Stadium, but it sure wasn't easy. The experts had favored the Spartans.

After getting blown out last week against Oregon, Nevada (1-1) was hoping for a much better showing against conference rival San Jose. The Spartans had lost their first two games to Stanford 57-3 and UCLA 27-17 coming into Saturday's game with the Wolf Pack.

Nevada started out strong, but was lucky to escape with a narrow three point victory. Senior QB Tyler Lantrip showed some improvement over last week by completing 11 of his 21 passes for 112 yards. He did not throw a single TD and was picked off twice.

Nevada had 23 first downs to San Jose's 15 and was 7 for 16 on 3rd down conversions to San Jose's 4 for 14.

The Wolf Pack ground game was dominant racking up 261 yards against the Spartans 138. Junior RB Mike Ball had 124 yards and two TDs.

Nevada managed 373 total offensive yards to San Jose's 290. The only metric where the Spartans bested the Wolf Pack was on passing—152 to 112 yards.

The game was not as close as the score. For most of it, Nevada seemed in control and dominated the clock 35:51 to 24:09, but managed to squander one scoring opportunity after another. Similar to last week's performance against Oregon, Nevada permitted a litany of errors and turnovers that nearly gave the game away.

The Wolf Pack lost two fumbles, but fortunately recovered three. Lantrip was intercepted twice and Rishard Matthews muffed two consecutive punts.

The defense seemed improved over last week, at least until late in the game when the Spartans began moving the ball much more effectively. The game was saved for the Wolf Pack by an interception in the end zone with minutes left.

The Wolf Pack needed this victory to build some confidence, but they clearly have a long way to go. Nevada faces Texas Tech on the road next week. The Red Raiders (2-0) have beaten Texas State 59-10 and New Mexico 59-13, so Nevada will have their work cut out for them.

Nevada then faces Boise State the following week in Idaho. The Broncos are off to a strong start dominating Georgia and Toledo in easy wins.

Realistically, the best Nevada can expect is to be 1-3 when they return home to face UNLV on October 8. The Rebels upset Hawaii last night 40-20.

On the bright side, the Wolf Pack is now 1-0 in conference play and Hawaii showed some significant weaknesses last night in Las Vegas. The Wolf Pack now have three non-conference games to work on things before resuming conference play on October 15.

By then they will have faced two Top Ten teams as well as San Jose State, Texas Tech and UNLV and hopefully will have improved enough to win the rest of their conference games.

As shaky as things looks for the Pack now, given their schedule, a 9-3 season and an outright WAC Championship is still a possibility.

It was a very bad day for the Nevada Wolf Pack. If there was any doubt that Kaepernick and company were crucial to Nevada's success last season, it's gone. This Wolf Pack team was clearly not last year's team. The loss of Kaepernick, Taua, Moch, Coulson, Green and Bender among others was painful to watch. Nevada was basically blown out in Eugene in a lopsided rout, 69-20.

The Wolf Pack could not match the speed of the Ducks and with a combination of fumbles, defensive breakdowns, interceptions and penalties gave an already superior team the game on a silver and blue platter.

This is a rebuilding year and except for possibly Boise State, Nevada has already faced its toughest opponent of the season in its first game. It gets easier from here. Despite the sorry score, there were some bright spots for Nevada.

The Wolf Pack bested Oregon with time-of-possession, 38:18 to 21:42; first downs, 26 to 25; total rushing yards 307 to 279 and net rushing 283 to 272. The Pack was successful at moving the ball on the ground. There's a bright spot.

The Ducks passed for 331 yards to the Pack's 233. Total offense belonged to the Ducks 603 yards. Still the Pack managed 516 yards of total offense against one of college football's elite teams. There's another bright spot.

What killed Nevada was inexperience, defensive mistakes, fumbles (one), interceptions (three), penalties (eight for 55), missed field goals and blocked point after kicks. Had Nevada played cleanly, the score could have been at least a little closer.

So where does the Wolf Pack go from here? This stinging blow out will turn out to have been a blessing. This was learning to swim the hard way, by jumping right in. Nevada knows what it needs to work on. There were a few bright spots. Senior QB Tyler Lantrip finally got a chance to play and did okay. Freshman QB Cory Fajardo showed some flashes of potential greatness.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The Pack faces San Jose State next week and has a chance to wash the taste of Eugene out of its mouth. Hopefully by this time next week Nevada will be 1-1 and better prepared to face Texas Tech the following week and Boise State the week after.

These four tough away games to start the season will get the Pack ready for their WAC competitors. We have a long way to go and we're running uphill to start the race, but after week four, its downhill and the going will get much easier. By then, the experience the Pack will have gained for these first four weeks against some elite teams will be invaluable. I'm still calling for a 9-3 season with an outright WAC Championship!

The Western Athletic Conference fought off its reputation as the Boise State-and-the-rest conference to place two teams in the top 11 of final BCS rankings last year. Unfortunately for WAC fans, this conference is going through some changes, which makes that feat highly unlikely this season.

Perennial power Boise State has left for the Mountain West, and three of its better programs have announced they will leave the conference after this season. So as this season approaches, the long-term future of the WAC is uncertain.

With Boise State gone the WAC becomes much more competitive. As many as five teams look to have a shot to win the conference this season.

But one team, despite losing its talented quarterback to the pros, seems to have the inside track.  Here are my 2011 WAC football predictions with Western Athletic Conference odds for betting:

The Favorite
The Nevada Wolf Pack finished in a three-way tie atop the WAC last year, going 7-1 in conference play for the second straight season. They exorcised a demon when they beat Boise State in that crazy game in Reno the night after Thanksgiving.

This year Nevada returns only 12 starters, and they have to replace their three-year starter at QB, Colin Kaepernick. But seven of their returning starters are on defense, and most importantly, the 2011 Nevada Wolf Pack football schedule is the easiest among the main contenders in the WAC. Their three toughest conference opponents have to come to Reno and they only have three conference road games. Sportbet is listing Nevada as a +215 favorite to win the WAC this season.

The Challenger
Any of about three teams could fit this bill, but we'll place Hawaii here. The Warriors were the biggest surprise in the conference last year, picked to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack but instead tied for first at 7-1 in WAC play.

This year Hawaii returns just nine starters, only three on offense, but one of them is senior QB Bryant Moniz, who threw for 5,000 yards and 39 TDs last year. Six starters are back on the WAC's second-ranked defense. The Warriors do draw four conference road games, but they should be able to at least split those.

The shootout that might decide the WAC is Nov. 12 when Hawaii visits Nevada. Sportbet is offering the Warriors at +250 to win the conference title.

The Dark Horse
Again, a couple of teams could fit in here, but we'll go with Louisiana Tech. Better things were thought of for the Bulldogs last year, but they only went 4-4 in the WAC and couldn't beat anybody that finished above them. This year, as they enter the second season of the Coach Dykes era, Tech gets back 13 starters—six on offense—including the WAC's second-leading returning rusher Lennon Creer, and seven on defense. The 'Dogs are solid along both lines and might have the best collection of skill players in the league.

Unfortunately their weak point is at QB, and they've got four conference road games, although a couple of those are winnable. With decent QB play, Tech could start out 4-0 in league play. Sportbet is listing the Bulldogs at +700 to win the WAC.   

The X-Factor
Fresno State developed a reputation of playing anybody anywhere over the years, and they've had some success. But one thing has eluded the Bulldogs recently: An outright conference championship. Fresno State hasn't finished higher than second in the league standings since 1999.

This year the 'Dogs return five starters on both sides of the ball from a team that went 5-3 in league play last year. They get back the league's leading returning rusher, Robbie Rouse, and should field the WAC's best set of special teams. They've also got four conference road games, and will be fortunate to split those. Fresno State could make a run at the WAC title this season, and could finish fifth. It's just hard to tell. Sportbet is offering the Bulldogs at +350 to win the conference.

The Surprise
San Jose State has won one WAC game the last two seasons combined. But after a slow start to last year—their first under Coach MacIntyre—the Spartans showed some life, losing by two at New Mexico State, by four to Utah State, by seven to Louisiana Tech, and by three in overtime at Idaho. This year the Spartans gets back 18 starters, including the entire defense, and they get four conference home games. They may have to start a freshman at QB, but they might also field one of the best defenses in the league. Sportbet is listing the Spartans at +1,900 to win the WAC this season.

2011 WAC Predicted Order of Finish
First - Nevada
Second – Hawaii
Third – Louisiana Tech
Fourth – Fresno State
Fifth – San Jose State
Sixth – Idaho
Seventh – New Mexico State
Eighth – Utah State