Previewing Nevada Wolfpack

(The Wolfpack are excited about their season.)

Not to be mistaken with my "Keys to the Game Feature," (which should be out sometime on Wednesday), here's a quick look at Cal's upcoming opponent Nevada.

Nevada's Season in a Nutshell

In Nevada's last season in the Western Athletic Conference, Chris Ault's Wolfpack had the near impossible task of replicating the magic that was their 2010 dream season in which they finished 13-1.

Replacing QB Colin Kaepernick proved to be far more difficult than anticipated as Nevada started the season just 1-3 with blowout losses to Oregon and Boise St. Nevada would recover in conference play however, rattling off five straight wins, particularly as they settled upon freshman QB Cody Farjado. Nevada would struggle down the stretch however, dropping two of their final three, with their lone win coming over lowly Idaho.

Much like the Bears' last season, the Wolfpack took their record 7-5 into their bowl game, only to finish 7-6.

Still Strong Offensively
Nevada's offense found their quarterback and their answer in Cody Fajardo. Despite not taking over as the starter until partway through the season, Fajardo still accounted for more than 2,400 yards of total offense, throwing for 6 TDs and rushing for 11 more. Fajardo was named the WAC Freshman of the Year on a team that ranked first in the conference and sixth in the nation in total offense. The Wolfpack averaged more than 500 yards per game.

Plain and simple, the offense revolves around (pistol joke) Cody Fajardo much in the same way that it centered around now 49er QB Colin Kaepernick two years ago. It is worth noting, that Fajardo is arguably further along in his development than Kaepernick was at the same point though not nearly as efficient as Kaepernick was in his senior season.

This Nevada offense is missing some key weapons from last year's offense as well. The Wolfpack will do without departed WRs Rishard Matthews and Shane Anderson, who combined for 1,890 yards last season. The only receiver who can tout the closest stats is Aaron Bradley, who caught 28 balls last year for 336 yards and 3 TDs.

Replacing those receivers however doesn't match the larger task of replacing both Lampford Mark (Yes he has a first name for a last, and vice versa) and Mike Ball who rushed for a combined 1,600 yards ands 13 TDs last season.

A bit of a wildcard is the presence of new offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich who takes over after his previous stint with Hawaii. It'll be interesting to see how his run-and-shoot philosophy will mesh the with the infamous pistol of Hawaii. At least both use gun metaphors?

Defensive Question Marks
Defensively, the Wolfpack lose some of their biggest playmakers from last season, including their leading tacklers from a defense that ranked 52nd nationally in yards given up. Linebacker Brandon Marshall, who led the team with 102 tackles (7.5 TFL) is gone, as is star defensive lineman Brett Roy who registered 66 tackles and a whopping 18.5 tackles for a loss.

The Wolfpack's strength is clearly in the secondary however, with CB Khalid Wooten and safety Duke Williams. They will have to step up to match the play of the departed Isaiah Frey who was clearly the best DB on their team. The Wolfpack was ranked 57th in pass defense last season nationally.

Overall, this was a solid, stout defense that plays disciplined football. You wonder though how they will fare in having to replace their best defensive players.

Special Teams
Again, the similarities with Cal are a bit crazy. Nevada will also have to replace a departed senior punter, Jake Hurst who averaged 41.5 yards per punt.

Returning though is solid placekicker Allen Hardison. Hardison was 8-of-11 field goal attempts last season, though he did have two kicks blocked. Sound familiar, Cal fans?

Overall
The Wolfpack are projected to finish second in the Mountain West behind Boise State and should again be bowl eligible. I see them easily notching 8 wins, perhaps ending up in the Humanitarian Bowl.