Big win, big trophy and still big problems on defense
Don’t get cocky about the good old-fashioned Rebel beat down Saturday.
UNLV was overrated going into the game and deserved the Wolf Pack’s whooping.
Wins against extremely overrated Arizona State and the “We’re just happy to be in the Big 12” Iowa State Cyclones doesn’t prove UNLV is a good team. Nevada can’t consider this a quality win.
The Wolf Pack, in all its glory, beat its archrival. It’s a good win. It kept the cannon blue and quieted obnoxious UNLV fans. But Nevada still has a lot of work to compete for a Western Athletic Conference title.
UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton would have been the player of the game if Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick hadn’t continued to be, well, Colin Kaepernick. Clayton threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Clayton also ran for 47 yards, which proved Nevada’s vulnerability against tough quarterbacks.
Nevada’s vulnerabilites could be attributed to its fatigue in the defensive backfield, ranked second to last (118) in NCAA Division I football in passing yards allowed per game.
The second-to-last ranking isn’t the only blip on the stat sheet for the pass defense. Nevada’s opponents have averaged 342-passing yards per game. The Wolf Pack has also allowed seven receivers to accumulate 95 yards or more this season, and at least one receiver to rack up 150 yards or more in each game this year (excluding Grambling State).
That spells trouble for Nevada when it battles Fresno State’s combination of Tom Brandstater and Seyi Ajirotutu; Boise State’s quarterback Kellen Moore, who just passed for 386 yards against No. 12 Oregon; and New Mexico State’s innovative spread offense.
Wolf Pack safeties Uche Anyanwu and Jonathon Amaya have shined this season in the backfield. Anyanwu is Nevada’s leading tackler by far (29), but that doesn’t mean he is a great tackler. It means Nevada’s opposing receivers are getting behind the defensive backs and giving Anyanwu an inordinate amount of tackling opportunities at the safety position.
College football is also faster this season because of its new NFL-styled 40-second play clock. Nevada has played fast-paced, no-huddle spread offenses this year, which continues to beg the question: Is the problem fatigue?
If it is, the Wolf Pack has talent on the bench that isn’t being used. Nevada freshman Isaiah Frey led in many statistics during summer camp games, but hasn’t played a down this season.
Starting the true freshman would prevent Frey from redshirting this year. But if his playing time gives Nevada a chance to compete against top opponents in the conference, it’s worth a shot.
The Wolf Pack needs a new strategy, partly spurred by more substitutions during games to give its backfield a breather between plays. Maybe cornerbacks Mike Evans and Antoine Thompson would benefit from a couple extra plays on the sideline if Frey plays.
Nevada coach Chris Ault can’t save talented freshman if the team doesn’t improve against passing attacks.
Emerson Marcus is the sports editor of The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at emarcus@nevadasagebrush.com
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