NEVADA WOLF PACK (4-3, 1-2 WAC) vs. NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (2-5, 0-3 WAC)
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006 w 1:05 p.m. PT w Mackay Stadium (29,993) w Reno, Nev.
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Dan Gustin (play-by-play) & Bill Daniel (analyst)
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads 8-1
LAST MEETING: Nevada won the second of five straight victories to end the season with a 48-24 win over NMSU in at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces on Nov.12, 2005.
STORYLINES
Nevada, co-champions of the Western Athletic Conference last season, is vying for its second straight conference win as it plays host to New Mexico State for Youth Day at Mackay Stadium ... Nevada has won all three home games this year and eight straight dating back to last season ... New Mexico State’s only win in the nine meetings between the schools came in 1998 at Mackay Stadium when both schools were members of the Big West Conference ... New Mexico State went winless last year, its first in the WAC, but the Aggies have two victories this season. NMSU has not beat a Division I-A team since 2004 ... Nevada does not have any players from New Mexico and none of Nevada’s coaches has ever coached at New Mexico State ... Nevada coach Chris Ault is 4-0 in his career against New Mexico State and is 1-0 in his career against Aggies coach Hal Mumme.
IN THE SERIES WITH NEW MEXICO STATE
Nevada has a two-game win streak against New Mexico State as the schools renewed their series last season when New Mexico State joined the WAC. All nine meetings between the schools have been conference games. The schools previously met seven times during the 1990s when both schools were in the Big West Conference
Nevada was 6-1 against New Mexico State in the Big West and is 1-0 against the Aggies in the WAC as NMSU has yet to win a WAC game since joining the league last year.
In the last meeting, Nevada’s offense exploded for 560 total yards and the Wolf Pack scored a 48-24 victory in Las Cruces. Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe struck for three touchdown passes, one each to Anthony Pudewell, Caleb Spencer and Robert Hubbard. The Wolf Pack got 193 yards rushing and three more touchdowns from then-senior B.J. Mitchell. Nevada’s defense held New Mexico State to just 41 yards and forced three fumbles, one of which was returned 40 yards for a touchdown.
THE SEASON SO FAR
Nevada scored its first WAC victory of the season last week with a 23-7 victory over San Jose State at Mackay Stadium, Nevada’s third straight Homecoming victory. Senior quarterback Travis Moore made his first career start in place of Jeff Rowe (hamstring) and completed 20-of-28 for 178 yards and a touchdown. The Wolf Pack defense stymied San Jose State, holding the Spartans to just 239 total yards and just 77 passing yards.
Prior to its bye week, Nevada fell 41-34 at Hawaii despite a strong fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Nevada trailed by 20 points in the fourth quarter but got within a touchdown of the Warriors. The loss snapped the Wolf Pack’s three-game win streak, the last of which was a 31-3 routing of in-state rival UNLV that allowed Nevada to retain possession of the Fremont Cannon. It was Nevada’s first victory in Las Vegas since 1998.
After dropping its first two games against Fresno State and Arizona State - both on the road - to open the season, the Wolf Pack rebounded at home. Nevada made history at Mackay Stadium, beating Colorado State for the first time in school history before claiming its first-ever win over a Big Ten school with a 10-point victory over Northwestern. Those two victories gave Nevada momentum for its road victory at UNLV.
With 38 returning letterwinners and 14 returning starters, 22nd-year head coach Chris Ault and the Wolf Pack are coming off the team’s best season in nine years after turning in a 9-3 overall record and earning a share of the school’s first WAC title as well as an invitation to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl last season. Nevada was picked to finish third in the WAC in this year’s preseason polls.
EXPOSURE
This week’s game is one of just four this season that won’t be televised in Northern Nevada, though the game is available on a pay-per-view basis via ESPN GamePlan
Last week’s game was broadcast regionally on ABC, the second straight season that the network has shown that game. Nevada will make a total of eight TV appearances during the regular season. Four of Nevada’s games are national television appearances as ESPN broadcast the Fresno State game and ESPN2 carried the Northwestern game. One of the ESPN networks will broadcast the Boise State game and the Wolf Pack’s win over in-state rival UNLV was on the new MTN network.
In addition to the national games and Saturday’s regional broadcast, three Nevada games are being carried locally by KREN, Nevada’s flagship television station. KREN broadcast the Arizona State and Hawaii games and will also have the Idaho game in November. Dan Gustin, the “Voice of the Wolf Pack,” will call the games on KREN with Nevada Hall of Fame member and ex-quarterback Chris Vargas providing commentary.
Nevada’s flagship radio station, ESPN 630 AM, will broadcast all 12 regular-season games this year with Gustin (play-by-play) and Bill Daniel (analyst) calling the action. When Gustin is handling TV duties, Dan Marchand will handle the play-by-play on the radio.
Fans can watch live video streaming of non-televised WAC games on the internet on a pay-per-view basis this season by logging on to www.WAC.tv.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior quarterback Jeff Rowe, senior tight end Anthony Pudewell, junior defensive tackle Matt Hines and senior cornerback Joe Garcia will serve as Nevada’s team captains this season as voted on by their teammates.
SHUTOUT STREAK
Nevada has never been shutout as a member of Division I-A and has not been shutout since Sept. 27, 1980, a streak of 311 games that is the longest in the nation. The last time Nevada was blanked was at Weber State, a 10-0 loss. That is the only shutout loss ever suffered by Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault. During the streak, Nevada has shutout six opponents, the last being a 63-0 win over Cal Poly in 1998 at Mackay Stadium. Nevada nearly shutout UNLV earlier this year but the Rebels kicked a field goal late in the game to avoid the blanking.
MACKAY IS BACK
The Wolf Pack’s 23-7 victory over San Jose State marked Nevada’s eighth consecutive win at Mackay Stadium. The Wolf Pack turned in a 5-1 record at Mackay Stadium last year, winning its last five home games after opening the season with a loss to Washington State. Since then-quarterback Chris Ault led the the Pack to a 17-13 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 1, 1966 in Nevada’s first game in the facility, the Wolf Pack has turned in a 157-45-2 (.775) record at Mackay Stadium.
In his 21-plus years as Nevada’s head coach, Ault has led the team to a 124-25-1 record at Mackay Stadium (.830), including a 13-2 mark over the last two-plus years since returning to the helm for the third time in 2004. He has guided the Wolf Pack to 15 seasons with one loss or less at home, including four undefeated campaigns at Mackay Stadium (1976, 1985, 1990, 1994).
SILVER AND BLUE CANNON
The Fremont Cannon will stay at "home" in Cashell Fieldhouse after Nevada's 31-3 thrashing of in-state rival UNLV. The cannon is billed as one of the largest and most expensive trophies in collegiate athletics. It is a replica of the howitzer that was abandoned in a Sierra snowdrift by Gen. John C. Fremont during his expedition of Nevada, Oregon and California in 1843-44.
Nevada reclaimed the cannon last year with a 22-14 victory in Reno and retained possession this year by routing the Rebels. It was Nevada's second straight victory in the series and it gives the Wolf Pack a 17-15 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1969. Nevada coach Chris Ault is now 9-7 all-time vs. UNLV.
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