NEVADA WOLF PACK (2-2, 0-1 WAC) vs. UNLV REBELS (1-2, 0-0 MWC)
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006 - 7:05 p.m. PT - Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800) - Las Vegas, Nev.
TELEVISION: The mtn. (Rich Cellini, Jon Berger & Anne Marie Anderson)
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Dan Gustin (play-by-play) & Bill Daniel (analyst)
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads16-15.
LAST MEETING: Nevada reclaimed possession of the Fremont Cannon with a 22-14 victory
in Reno on Sept. 17, 2005.
After winning both games of its two-game homestand,Nevada hits the road again for its annual in-state rivalry matchup with UNLV on Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. After dropping its first two games, both on the road, to open the season, the Wolf Pack rebounded at home, knocking off Colorado State before topping Northwestern last Friday for the school’s first win over a Big Ten program. 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
Saturday night’s game will be televised by The Mountain West Sports Network (The mtn.) with Rich Cellini (play-by-play), Jon Berger (analyst) and Anne Marie Anderson (sidelines) calling the action. The mtn. is not available on most satellite and cable systems in northern Nevada.
Nevada will appear on television eight times this year, including four national television appearances. ESPN broadcast the season opener with Fresno State and ESPN2 televised the Northwestern game, while the Nov. 25 Boise State game will be on ESPN or ESPN2. Nevada’s flagship station, KREN, is scheduled to televise three games (ASU, Hawai’i and Idaho), while ABC will broadcast the Oct. 21 San Jose State contest to a regional audience.
Nevada’s flagship radio station, ESPN 630 AM, will broadcast all 12 regular-season games this year with Dan Gustin (play-by-play) and Bill Daniel (analyst) calling the action, while 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.
In the Series with UNLV
The annual Battle for the Fremont Cannon, the traveling trophy given to the winner of the matchup between the University of Nevada and UNLV, resumes this week in Las Vegas. Nevada holds a 16-15 advantage in the series, reclaiming the Fremont Cannon and snapping a five-game losing streak in the series last year with a 22-14 victory on Sept. 17 in Reno. Saturday’s game marks the 32nd meeting between the only Division I schools in the Silver State and will be the 18th consecutive meeting between the schools. UNLV holds a 9-6 advantage in games played in Las Vegas.
UNLV is coming off a bye week and has compiled a 1-2 record under second-year coach Mike Sanford, who is 3-11 at UNLV. The Rebels returned 41 letterwinners and 14 starters from last year’s team that went 2-9. UNLV opened the season with a 54-10 victory at home against Idaho State but then lost back-to-back games on the road to Iowa State and Hawaii before a bye week last week. Nevada’s Chris Ault is 8-7 all time against the Rebels in his 22 years of coaching. Sanford is 0-1 against Nevada.
Las Vegas Connections
Nevada has three players from Las Vegas on its roster in senior center Jimmy Wadhams, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Danny Wadhams and sophomore kicker Brett Jaekle. The Wadhams brothers both prepped at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, and Jaekle was a two-sport standout at Bonanza High School. Jaekle’s younger brother, Ben, is UNLV’s placekicker.
Nevada head coach Chris Ault spent the 1973-75 seasons as an assistant coach at UNLV and was inducted into the UNLV Sports Hall of Fame for his part in helping the Rebels to a 12-1 season (11-0 regular season) in 1974. Ault is not the only current coach to have been part of both side of this rivalry. UNLV defensive backs coach Mike Bradeson was an assistant coach under Ault at the University of Nevada from 1986 to 1991.
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.
Mackay is Back
Last week’s 31-21 victory over Northwestern marked Nevada’s seventh 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 156-45-2 (.773) record at Mackay Stadium.
In his 21-plus years as Nevada’s head coach, Ault has led the team to a 123-25-1 record at Mackay Stadium (.829), including a 12-2 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).
Wolf Pack Offense Hitting Its Stride
Nevada’s offense continued to roll last week against Northwestern as the Wolf Pack scored a season-best 31 points in the victory. Senior running back Robert Hubbard led the offensive charge with a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns. One of Hubbard’s scores was a receiving touchdown as quarterback Jeff Rowe tossed two touchdown passes for the third time in four games. Nevada turned in a season high with 24 first downs and dominated time of possession, 33:57 to 26:03. The Wolf Pack led the nation in time of possession a year ago.
In its last two games, both victories, Nevada has averaged 367 yards of total offense and 29.5 points. Quarterback Jeff Rowe has been superb in those games, throwing for 407 yards on 36-of-44 passing (.818) with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Defense Getting Turnovers, Creating Points
All but seven of Nevada’s points against Northwestern came off of the five turnovers caused by the Wolf Pack defense. The Wolf Pack scored 17 points off turnovers in the first half, and senior cornerback Joe Garcia scored a touchdown in the second half on a 24-yard interception return. Garcia’s score marked the second time this season that Nevada’s defense scored a touchdown as junior linebacker Ezra Butler had a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown Sept. 9 at Arizona State.
Nevada has forced seven turnovers in its last two games, and the Wolf Pack has not allowed an opposing running back to rush for more than 100 yards since the season opener at Fresno State.
The win against Northwestern was the second straight strong performance by the defense, which had its best game of the year against Colorado State on Sept. 16. The defense held CSU scoreless in the second half and gave up just three points in the 28-10 victory with the team’s only other score coming on a blocked punt return for touchdown. After giving up more than 300 yards in each of the first two games of the year, Nevada allowed just 177 yards of total offense against the Rams. The team also held Colorado State to Nevada opponent season lows in first downs (10), rushing yards (64) and passing yards (113).
Milan Finding His Groove
Senior defensive end J.J. Milan missed all of last season with a foot injury that required three surgeries to repair, but the Reno native is making up for lost time this season. Milan leads the team and Western Athletic Conference with four sacks, all of which have come in the last three games. Against Northwestern, Milan recorded two tackles, one of which was a sack, and he broke up a pass and recovered a fumble in Nevada’s 31-21 victory over the Wildcats. On the year, Milan’s four sacks have totaled 23 yards in losses for Nevada’s opponents and he is fifth in the WAC in tackles for loss. Nationally, Milan ranks 12th in sacks per game.
Rowe Continues to Climb Career Passing Charts
Senior quarterback Jeff Rowe has been remarkably efficient in Nevada’s last two games, completing 36-of-44 for 407 yards with four touchdowns and just two interceptions on the year. Against Northwestern last week, Rowe had scoring strikes of 25 and 26 yards and misfired on just five attempts. Against Colorado State on Sept. 16, Rowe turned in one of the most efficient showings of his career, completing 19-of-22 pass attempts for 210 yards and two touchdowns. The effort marked the best single-game completion percentage of his career (86.4 percent). Rowe’s previous best was a 73.5 percent game (25-34 attempts for 252 yards and two TDs) Nov. 6, 2004 against San Jose State
Rowe opened the season with 183 yards and two TDs on 18-of-34 passing Sept. 1 at Fresno State, while he completed 17-of-29 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in the loss at No. 25 Arizona State. Nationally, Rowe ranks 37th in passing efficiency with a rating of 139.6 and he is 42nd in total offense at 216.5 yards per game. In the WAC, Rowe is fourth in total offense and fifth in efficiency and passing yards per game. His seven touchdown passes this season is the second-best total in the conference. Rowe has tossed at least one scoring strike in 24 of the last 28 games.
In his final year in the program, Rowe continues to climb Nevada’s career passing charts. He has now thrown for 6,708 yards in his career, which moves him into sixth in the Nevada record book and 25th in the WAC annals, while his 44 passing touchdowns are tied for seventh-best in Wolf Pack history. Rowe also ranks fifth in both career completions (564) and attempts (941).
A 2005 second-team All-WAC selection, Rowe has thrown for over 2,500 yards in each of the last two seasons, including 2,925 yards last year. He ranked second in the league and 21st in the nation in total offense with 264.1 yards per game and was third in the WAC and 30th in the NCAA in passing efficiency at 137.8. Rowe tallied at least 200 passing yards in all but two games in 2005, including two 300-yard outings with a season-best 324 yards against Colorado State. Rowe also tossed at least one touchdown pass in all but one game last year, including three contests with three scoring strikes.
Rowe Named to Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
Nevada senior quarterback Jeff Rowe is one of 34 candidates on the preseason watch list for the 2006 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the Davey O’Brien Foundation announced on Aug. 28. The 2006 watch list for the award, which is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback, is made up of 34 candidates, including 19 seniors, 12 juniors and three sophomores representing 11 conferences.
Celebrating 30 years, the O’Brien Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O’Brien. O’Brien led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship and was the first player to win the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell awards in one season.
Semifinalists will be announced in early November as voted on by the O’Brien Selection Committee, made up of a nationwide panel of sportswriters, commentators and former O’Brien Award winners. The committee will then narrow the field to three finalists before announcing a winner on ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show scheduled for Dec. 7, 2006, at 7 p.m. EST. The winner will then be honored on Feb. 19, 2007, at the 30th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Last year’s winner was Vince Young from the University of Texas.
Rowe, Spencer Among Nation’s Leaders in Consecutive Starts,
Games with a Reception
Senior quarterback Jeff Rowe and senior wide receiver Caleb Spencer are ranked among the nation’s leaders in consecutive games started and games with a reception, respectively. Rowe has started 28 straight games dating back to the start of the 2004 season, which puts him in seventh nationally. Spencer has caught at least one pass in the last 27 games dating back to 2004, which is the 10th-longest streak in the nation.
After catching eight passes for 78 yard Sept. 16 against Colorado State and eight for 79 yards last week against Northwestern, Spencer is fourth in the WAC and 15th in the nation with 6.25 receptions per game and eighth in the league with 62.0 receiving yards per contest.
2006 Division I-A Quarterback Consecutive Starts
Kevin Kolb, Sr., Houston 40
Brady Quinn, Sr., Notre Dame 37
Chris Leak, Sr., Florida 37
James Pinkney, Sr., East Carolina 29
Jared Zabransky, Sr., Boise State 29
John Stocco, Sr., Wisconsin 29
Jeff Rowe, Sr., Nevada 28
Jordan Palmer, Sr., UTEP 27
Chad Henne, Jr., Michigan 27
Bret Meyer, Jr., Iowa State 27
2006 Division I-A Consecutive Reception Streak
Steve Odom, Sr., WR, Toledo 41
Vincent Marshall, Sr., WR, Houston 40
Johnny Quinn, Sr., WR, North Texas 38
Brian Leonard, Sr., FB, Rutgers 38
Trent Shelton, Sr., WR, Baylor 37
Clark Harris, Sr., TE, Rutgers 34
Ryne Robinson, Sr., WR, Miami (Ohio) 29
Dwayne Jarrett, Jr., WR, USC 29
Shaun Herbert, Sr., WR, Northwestern 28
Caleb Spencer, WR, Nevada 27
Craig Davis, Jr., WR, LSU 26
Calvin Johnson, Jr., WR, Georgia Tech 26
Spencer Named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List
Senior wide receiver Caleb Spencer is one of 51 players who have been named to the preseason watch list for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is annually presented to the top wide receiver in the country by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation.
A first-team All-WAC and Academic All-WAC honoree last season, Spencer led the team in receptions (67), yard (889) and touchdown catches (seven) in 2005. He also ranked among the WAC and national leaders in receptions and receiving yards per game.
The Biletnikoff Award watch list will be narrowed down later this fall with the award to be announced at the ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December. The winner will also be honored at a banquet in Tallahassee in February.
Ault Moving Up Career Victories Lists
After leading his team to a 9-3 record last season, College Football Hall of Fame inductee Chris Ault has moved into 15th among active Division I-A coaches in winning percentage (.703). Among active coaches with five years of Division I-A experience, he also ranks fifth in career victories with 179. In his third stint as the head coach of the Wolf Pack, Ault now holds a 179-75-1 record in 21-plus years as a head coach, all at Nevada.
The winningest coach in school history, Ault was named the WAC Coach of the Year in 2005 for his efforts in leading the Wolf Pack to a share of the league title and the school’s first bowl appearance in nine years. During his tenure, Ault has won eight conference championships and taken Nevada to postseason play nine times (three bowl games).
Top Five Winningest Active Division I-A Coaches
1. Bobby Bowden, Florida State 362-108-4 (.768)
2. Joe Paterno, Penn State 356-118-3 (.748)
3. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 192-102-4 (.651)
4. Jim Tressel, Ohio State 189-70-2 (.728)
5. Chris Ault, Nevada 179-75-1 (.704)
Hubbard Heating Up
Senior running back Robert Hubbard put up a career-best 156 yards in last week’s victory over Northwestern and scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
The Emeryville, Calif. native has four 100-yard efforts in his last six games, dating back to last season. In four games this year, Hubbard has tallied 418 yards on the ground on an average of five yards per carry.
Hubbard’s 104.5 yards per game ranks third in the WAC and 19th nationally. He is seventh in the conference and 34th nationally in all-purpose yardage with 121.8 yards per game.
So far this year, Hubbard has tallied 103, 71, 88 and 156 yards in Nevada’s four games. His performance against Northwestern came on a career-high 32 carries. He also has six receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown so far this season.
Hubbard was hurt for much of last year but started to come into his own toward the end of the season, spelling WAC Offensive Player of the Year B.J. Mitchell down the stretch. In Hubbard’s last seven games, going back to the Utah State game on Nov. 19, 2005, Hubbard has rushed for 740 yards (105.7 yards per contest) and 10 touchdowns.
Garcia on Watch Lists for Nagurski & Lott Awards
Senior cornerback Joe Garcia has been named to the preseason watch lists for two of the most prestigious honors in college football: the Bronko Nagurski Award and the Lott Trophy.
Garcia, who hails from Westminster, Calif., had 72 tackles and four interceptions last year en route to earning first-team All-WAC honors. In just four games, Garcia has already picked off three passes, including two interceptions in the Northwestern game. He is tied for second in the WAC and eighth in the NCAA with 0.75 interceptions per game so far this year.
He is one of 56 players on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is presented each year by the Charlotte Touchdown Club to the best defensive player in college football as voted on by the Football Writers Association of America. This year’s award will be presented on Dec. 4 at the Westin Hotel-Charlotte.
Garcia was also one of the 42 players named to the 2006 Lott Trophy Watch List. Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its third year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player and is sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and Master Coaches, a distinguished group of former head college coaches. The winner will be announced at a gala black-tie banquet at The Pacific Club Dec. 10.
Jaekle's Got a Leg
Sophomore kicker Brett Jaekle made a slight adjustment in his approach on kickoffs earlier this season, and the move is certainly paying off. Since changing to a nine-step approach prior to the Arizona State game, Jaekle has recorded nine touchbacks in his last 15 kickoffs, including 4-of-6 last week against Northwestern. He did not have a touchback in the season opener at Fresno State.
Challenging Slate
Nevada has lined up one of the most challenging schedules in the country this season. The Wolf Pack will take on five teams that earned a bowl appearance one year ago (Fresno State, Arizona State, Colorado State, Northwestern and Boise State). Nevada, which received three votes of its own in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ poll, will also take on five opponents that have been ranked or receiving votes in the polls this year (FSU, ASU, CSU, NU, BSU).
The Wolf Pack will take on three of those five bowl teams at Mackay Stadium, playing host to Colorado State (Poinsettia Bowl) on Sept. 16 and Northwestern (Sun Bowl) on Sept. 22. Boise State, which earned an invitation to the MPC Computers Bowl last year, will travel to Reno on Nov. 25.
Up Next
Nevada will face another tough road game next week as it returns to WAC play with a trip to Hawai’i. The Warriors lost at Boise State last week, 41-34. Nevada beat Hawai’i 38-28 last season in Reno and leads the all-time series with Hawaii 6-4. Following the Hawai’i road trip, Nevada will have a bye week and returns to action on Oct. 21 for a Homecoming matchup with San Jose State at Mackay Stadium.
