Off week stands in the way of RebelsNevada will have first bye of the season before it takes on UNLV
Nevada will have first bye of the season before it takes on UNLV
Nevada didn’t play like it did Sept. 6 against Texas Tech. The Wolf Pack offense was slow and the defense couldn’t get a hand on Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel. Nevada will now go into its bye-week angry, upset and exhausted after being outplayed by a team with a much better offensive scheme. When asked what the Wolf Pack had to work on this week, coach Chris Ault said, “Pick something.” The Nevada Sagebrush has decided to do just that.
Defensive Backfield
Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell looked like an over-hyped quarterback when he came into Reno. He struggled throughout the first three quarters and didn’t even hit 200 passing yards until late in the game.
Last week, Nevada’s defensive backfield played a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde role reversal. Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel’s ability to open gaps in Nevada’s secondary was similar to Moses parting the Red Sea — he had complete control and he gave his people a lot of room to maneuver.
Nevada’s inexperienced secondary is still better than critics dubbed it at the beginning of the year. Safeties Uche Anyanwu and Jonathon Amaya should be fine the rest of the season. They are doing a good job of following the ball and nailing receivers, but on Saturday, Missouri was just that good.
Nevada has to learn from its experience against the spread offense the past two weeks as it gets ready for the Rebels. UNLV is better than most Wolf Pack fans think. The Rebels spread offense is legitimized with athletic quarterback Omar Clayton and a solid tight end in Jason Flair. The Rebels proved to the country Saturday that it is a respectable program when it beat then-ranked Arizona State.
Running Game
Nevada’s running game became an even bigger question mark this weekend with the injury of Brandon Fragger.
Without Fragger and senior Luke Lippincott, the Wolf Pack will have to look to sophomore Vai Taua as its feature back.
Taua has impressed this season as a downhill, power runner, but his route running remains questionable at best. Freshman Lampford Mark and sophomore Courtney Randall both got more playing time Saturday than they have all season, but the backup duo remains extremely inexperienced.
Will Ault change his play calling to more of an air-attack because of his depleted offensive backfield or will he continue to pound the ball in the Pistol offense with Taua and the rookies? The next week-and-a-half of practice should help answer that question.
Stop the big play
The Wolf Pack might have stayed in Saturday’s game longer if it had stopped a couple of Missouri’s long scoring plays.
The Tigers started the game with a 59-yard run by running back Derrick Washington and then came back the very next possession with an 80-yard pass play to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. In the third quarter, Daniel went back to Maclin and connected on a 49-yard touchdown.
Nevada fans still can’t forget the 82-yard touchdown Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell threw to wide receiver Michael Crabtree in week two. The play was the longest in the history of a duo that is no stranger to the big play.
UNLV also has speed and runs the spread offense. Nevada can’t afford to get burned over and over again in Las Vegas, or it may end up losing the Fremont Cannon for the first time in four years.
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