2008 Nevada Wolfpack Preview

Not a lot went right in 2007 for the Nevada Wolf Pack. Sure, Nevada made it to its third consecutive bowl game — the New Mexico Bowl, where it lost to New Mexico 23–0. But the Wolf Pack went just 6–7 without a single win against a .500 or better team, and a porous defense left many in Reno feeling unfulfilled.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Wolf Pack

Nevada desperately wants to make the jump into the WAC’s elite, a group currently comprised of Boise State, Fresno State and Hawaii. The Wolf Pack may have the opportunity to do just that this year. Nevada will start the season with a pair of home games for only the second time since 1994. Nevada’s new-look defense will be tested early by three Heisman Trophy candidates: at home against Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and receiver Michael Crabtree, and on the road against Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel. If Nevada comes through those games relatively healthy, the WAC schedule is navigable. Nevada has a home date against Boise State, which the Pack took to four overtimes last year in Boise, before losing 69–67. A bye week between road dates at Hawaii, which Nevada has never beaten in Honolulu, and Fresno State should help. Whether Chris Ault chooses Colin Kaepernick or Nick Graziano as his starting quarterback, Nevada should be better than its 6–7 record of last year. But how quickly the defense comes together will likely be the difference between making the top 3 in the WAC or battling for the top spot in the middle of the conference. If the defense struggles as it did last year, a fourth consecutive bowl game may be a long shot.

Outside of the New Mexico Bowl flop, however, the Wolf Pack’s offense was spectacular, finishing with the top rushing attack in the WAC, second in total offense and third in scoring. Eight offensive starters are back in 2008. But all eyes in Reno will be on the battle for the starting quarterback spot between reigning WAC Freshman of the Year Colin Kaepernick and junior Nick Graziano, who was replaced by Kaepernick last year after going down with a season-ending foot injury.

Coach Chris Ault, who is back for his 24th season at the helm of his alma mater, has not ruled out platooning the quarterbacks, nor has he named a starter. “We are going to give them both the chance to earn the job,” Ault says. “Which one will start will depend on how they perform in fall camp.”

But just how good Nevada will be in 2008 may rest on the shaky shoulders of its defense.

Nevada hired highly regarded Oregon State secondary coach Nigel Burton as its new defensive coordinator, replacing Ken Wilson, who will stay on as the associate head coach and linebackers coach.

The Wolf Pack will return to a 4-3 defensive scheme in 2008. Last year, Nevada started the season in a 3-4, but injury and ineffectiveness forced Nevada to finish the year in a 4-3.
Burton will have only four returning starters to work with, but junior safety Jonathon Amaya will return to the starting lineup after being limited with a knee injury last year. Ault has said that Amaya is the best defensive back at Nevada since Brock Marion, who went on to a long NFL career.  

Quarterbacks

Kaepernick exploded on the WAC scene last year as a freshman after an injury ended Graziano’s sophomore season only five games into the schedule. All the dual-threat Kaepernick did was throw for 2,175 yards and 19 touchdowns against three interceptions, while running for 593 yards and six more scores. He threw for 384 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in his first significant action, a 49–41 loss to Fresno State. Later in the year, he threw for 404 yards (on only 18 completions)?in a 49–10 win over Louisiana Tech. Now a sophomore, Kaepernick finds himself as the front-runner for the starting spot. But to earn the job, Kaepernick will have to show the coaches that he has improved his accuracy. His numbers tailed off as the season went on, and he completed only 53.8 percent of his passes for the year. Before his injury, the more-experienced Graziano threw for 10 touchdowns against five interceptions.

Running backs

Despite the prowess of Kaepernick, the strength of last year’s offense was its running game. Luke Lippincott emerged as Nevada’s go-to back in 2007, and his senior season should be no different. Lippincott led the WAC with 1,420 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. The bruising 6'2", 215-pounder will be spelled again by junior Brandon Fragger, a quick and shifty runner who amassed 334 yards and a pair of scores in 2007. The Pack does have plenty of other options, including Michael Ball, a prized 2008 recruit from Las Vegas, and redshirt freshman speedster Lampford Mark.

Receivers

All but two of Nevada’s top 12 pass-catchers from a season ago will be back. The unit as a whole is fast and deep. But the loss of tight end Adam Bishop and his seven scores last year will be tough for the Pack to replace. Tight end Junior Puloka, a 6'4", 240-pound junior, showed some pass-catching ability last year with five grabs and a score, all with a broken hand. Nevada’s best receiver, Marko Mitchell, will be back for his senior year after leading the team with 53 catches for 1,129 yards. The Wolf Pack must find a reliable third receiver to replace Kyle Sammons to play alongside Mitchell and 6'0" senior Mike McCoy. The most likely candidate is junior Arthur King Jr., who caught 10 balls and scored once in an injury-plagued season. 

Offensive linemen

The Union, as the offensive line is called in Reno, was strong last season, and all but guard Charles Manu will be back for another year. The front is led by standout center Dominic Green, a 6'3", 295-pound senior who has started at every spot on the line in his career. Senior guard Greg Hall (6'3", 290 pounds) and junior tackle Alonzo Durham (6'4", 285 pounds) each started all 13 games last year, and sophomore John Bender (6'8", 325 pounds) started the first five contests before going down with a knee injury. Bender will likely move to guard this season to open up the tackle spot for Mike Gallett, a 6'6", 295-pound sophomore.

Defensive linemen

One of the biggest concerns in the offseason with the switch to the 4-3 scheme was building depth on the defensive front. Nevada lost noseguard Matt Hines, a two-year captain, to graduation and is waiting to see if the NCAA will grant a sixth year of eligibility to defensive end Erics Clark. Clark missed nearly the entire season because of a serious case of pneumonia that hospitalized him for more than a month. Without Clark, Nevada will likely start a pair of speedy sophomores at the two end spots in Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch. Juniors Nate Agaiava and Chris Slack will battle for starting jobs at the two tackle spots along with Mundrae Clifton and talented redshirt freshman Zack Madonick.

Linebackers

The focal point of the defense is senior middle linebacker Joshua Mauga, a 6'2", 245-pounder who should be one of the favorites for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honor. Mauga, who has started since he was a true freshman, missed nearly half the season last year with a knee injury, but in eight games he recorded 82 tackles. Nevada figured to have its three linebacker spots filled nicely by returning starters as senior Jerome Johnson is back and will start at the Wolf linebacker spot. But another senior, Kevin Porter, saw his career come to an end in spring ball because of nerve damage in his neck. That should open the door for some youngsters. Sophomore Adam Liranzo, a converted safety, will get a shot at the strong-side linebacker, as will redshirt freshman James-Michael Johnson.

Defensive backs

While some serious questions exist on the front and in the linebacker corps, they are nothing like the questions Nevada faces in the secondary. Burton and new cornerbacks coach James Ward will be working with a unit that desperately needs a fresh start. Last season, Jonathon Amaya picked off a pass against Nebraska in the opener and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown. It was the only interception made by a Nevada cornerback in 2007. Amaya is back and healthy after a knee injury forced him out of action for half of 2007, and he’ll return to the strong safety spot he played as a freshman. Nevada also returns free safety Uche Anyanwu. Nevada inked three junior college transfers — corners Dayton Guillory and Antoine Thompson and safety Maurice Harvey — who will be expected to compete for starting jobs right away. Four high school recruits will also compete for depth along with returning corners Kenny Viser and Doyle Miller.

Specialists

Placekicker Brett Jaekle, one of the best in the WAC at that spot, might end up replacing departed punter Zachary Whited, though Nevada will likely bring in a couple of walk-ons to compete for the job. Nevada also needs to find some dependable return men. Dwayne Sanders, who has shown glimpses as a kick returner, will get a shot returning punts, as will Amaya. King, Mark and receiver Brandon Wimberly will be in the mix as kick returners.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds