The battle for the Fremont Cannon
Photo by Scott Barnett/Nevada Sagebrush
Beating UNLV would be the perfect medicine for a losing streak
A rivalry game in college football is a season all its own. Records and statistics don’t mean anything. This week, Nevada and UNLV will battle for the Fremont Cannon and state pride. The Rebels are coming off two consecutive overtime victories, while Nevada has steamed for two weeks with a 69-17 loss still fresh in its mind. Will the Wolf Pack learn from its mistakes and use the loss as motivation, or will the Rebels prove their legitimacy and take back the cannon?
Contain Clayton
To have a chance against UNLV, the Wolf Pack must stop the Rebel’s option-read play, where the quarterback in the shotgun formation and either hands the ball to the running back or takes the ball himself and runs it around the end. The quarterback decides based on the movement of the closest defensive end.
If the end crashes down and tries to take the running back, the quarterback will keep the ball and run outside.
UNLV’s backfield tandem of sophomore quarterback Omar Clayton and senior tailback Frank Summers isformidable and has the ability to give a defense fits. But if Nevada’s defensive ends do their job, look for Clayton and Summers to be the ones throwing a hissy most of the night.
New Running Game
Despite losing senior running back Luke Lippincott for the season and junior running back Brandon Fragger for likely three more weeks, the Nevada running game still looks strong.
The rushing attack, led by sophomore Vai Taua, is averaging more than 277 yards a game and has scored eight of the team’s 10 offensive touchdowns. Behind Taua are two inexperienced backs in sophomore Courtney Randall and freshman Lampford Mark, but Nevada’s blocking scheme is very simple. This year, the Wolf Pack offense has implemented more of an east-west running game in which the lineman move laterally, allowing the running back to run sideways with them, pick a hole, make a quick cut and turn it up the field. The youthful backfield should have little problems gashing a Rebel defense that allows over 150 rushing yards a game. Besides, if all else fails, Nevada sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a nice set of wheels on him too. Look for the Wolf Pack’s ground game to continue its dominance.
Pressure the Quarterback
Nevada, in its season opener against Grambling State, sacked the quarterback six times and was constantly in the backfield. The following week against Texas Tech, the defensive line continued its excellent play and pressured quarterback Graham Harrell into several bad throws. Despite losing the game and not actually recording a sack, the pressure the Wolf Pack put on Harrell was evident.
It was a completely different story against Missouri. Nevada did not lay a finger on Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel who, along with the Mizzou offense, went on to light up the Wolf Pack for 69 points.
UNLV quarterback Clayton has yet to throw a pick this year despite facing some stiff competition. Nevada’s d-line must get back to its old ways and get to the passer. When given time, any quarterback can throw for big yardage. It takes a great quarterback to face pressure and still deliver catchable balls. If the Wolf Pack can constantly get in Clayton’s grill, then we will find out what this sophomore quarterback is made of.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 1:13 am and is filed under Football, Sports, UNLV Special Section.
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