Football: Time to put up or shut up

By: Lukas Eggen

Monday, November 23, 2009 - 10:40 PM

Boise State beat Nevada 41-34 last year at Mackay Stadium. The two teams will play Friday in Boise for the Western Athletic Conference title. File photo/The Nevada Sagebrush

Nevada football head coach Chris Ault said the game against Boise State is the biggest game of the season, by far. But there is much more on the line besides the Western Athletic Conference title. To put it simply for the Wolf Pack: it’s time to put up or shut up.

Since starting 0-3, Nevada has dismantled its conference opponents, scored more than 60 points four times and has developed one of the most potent offenses in the nation, racking up 534 yards per game and 41 points per game. And this is after being shut out by Notre Dame. Yet it’ll all mean squat if the Broncos defeat Nevada, again.

Lukas Eggen

Boise State has a 54-game regular-season home winning streak, but there is no reason that Nevada shouldn’t win this game.

The Broncos may have quarterback Kellen Moore, who has developed into a Heisman candidate and wide receiver Austin Pettis, who averages 77 receiving yards per game and has 14 touchdowns this year, but the Wolf Pack has more than enough offensive firepower to keep up. With three 1,000-yard rushers at its disposal, head coach Chris Ault has one of the most prolific offenses in the nation and, with Colin Kaepernick as quarterback, he has one of the best dual-threat players in all of college football.

The defense has stepped up, holding its last three opponents to 20 points or fewer. While the Wolf Pack has faced some less-than-stellar opponents, the defense is making big strides and is playing its best football of the season. The team has come ever so close to beating the Broncos the last two seasons, including a 69-67 loss the last time the teams played at Boise.

Perhaps the biggest criticism levied against Nevada is that the team hasn’t beaten a “real” opponent. And it’s hard to argue against that. Since 2006, the Wolf Pack has lost seven games against ranked teams. This is Nevada’s chance to show it’s ready to hang with the big boys and should no longer be considered a mid-major team, but as a team to be feared. A victory against Boise State, a team that has Bowl Championship Series aspirations, on national television would show everyone that the Wolf Pack should no longer be considered a second-tier team and that the WAC isn’t just Boise State’s playground.

Perhaps no one needs this game more than Ault. He pretty much silenced his early season critics by going on an eight-game winning streak. What would be a better way to end his highly-publicized 25th year than with a win over the Broncos? Yet if he loses to Boise State again, you can bet the critics will be back in full force.

Three of Nevada’s last five losses against ranked teams have been by 16 points or fewer, meaning the Wolf Pack is able to compete with the ranked teams but consistently come up short. With the level of talent Ault has this season, he can’t afford to come up just short again. A win against Boise State will give Ault a “signature” victory and he will go down as the coach who toppled the Bronco’s WAC dynasty. A loss means he will continue to be known as the coach who couldn’t quite get an upstart Nevada team to the next level.

With Friday’s game quickly approaching, it’s time for the football team to do more than just say the right things. It’s time that Nevada stops playing second fiddle to the Broncos and emerges from the shadows. It’s time for the Wolf Pack to put up or shut up.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com.