Great expectations for Pack football

By: Juan López

Thursday, August 20, 2009 - 1:33 AM

No Nevada football coach, player, water boy or cameraman hesitates to say this season will be the team’s most difficult schedule ever.

Ever.

For a football program that started in 1896, that’s saying something.

The Wolf Pack will start off its season Sept. 5 against Notre Dame, who is ranked 23rd in the USA Today preseason poll. The squad will then travel to Fort Collins, Co., to face Mountain West Conference Colorado State on Sept. 19. After that, it’s a home game against Missouri, ranked 34th in the USA Today poll.

Simply put, every week will be a challenge, but Nevada football head coach Chris Ault said the dates of the games adds to the excitement.

“It’s not just the teams,” Ault, who will enter his 25th season as head coach, said. “That’s the obvious. You got to look at when you play all these games: Friday nights, Sunday nights. We got some prime-time games and will be in the spotlight a lot.”

The Wolf Pack will have three of its games on ESPN, one on ESPN2 and one on NBC. Out of these five televised games, only one of them is played on a Saturday.

As for the team itself, Nevada is one of the most talented in the Western Athletic Conference. With a multitude of players already named to preseason watch lists, many football experts are predicting a double-digit win total for Nevada.

Luke Lippincott, a sixth-year running back for Nevada, has seen many games. But he said going to South Bend, Ind., to play the Fighting Irish will be reminiscent of when the team played the University of Miami in the MPC Computers Bowl in 2006.

“I remember when we were playing the University of Miami in a bowl game, those storied programs that they always talk about –Notre Dame’s kind of like that,” he said. “That game against Miami was special and this one should be better — this whole season will be special.”

But with great talent and opponents comes great expectations.

Many Wolf Pack followers say they’ve never seen more anticipation for a football season. Nevada Athletics Director Cary Groth can attest to that.

“Rory Hickok, our senior associate (athletics director), has done a wonderful job with the football scheduling,” said Groth who will enter her sixth year as athletic director. “This fall season will be the most competitive football season we’ve ever had and in the time I’ve been here, the competition has just gotten better and better and better.”

Despite the hoopla, Ault has stayed consistent in his team’s training for the season.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing Notre Dame or whoever, our preparation is the same every offseason,” he said. “Yeah, there’s more attention around this season, but we’ve been building up to this point so it’s a natural progression.”

So with an unprecedented schedule, the city of Reno watching its every move and players being more excited for this season than any other, the Nevada football team will have a lot to live up to. But Lippincott is ready for the demands.

“Because we’re so much better than we were last year, there’s going to be more pressure on us to succeed,” he said. “But we know what we can do and are confident that we can make this one of the best seasons ever.”

Juan Lopez can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.