Nevada Post-Game Notes
vs. Hawaii, 11-16-07
Freshman quarterback Colin Kaepernick accounted for two more touchdowns a 22-yard pass to Luke Lippincott and a 3-yard TD run and now has accounted for 20 touchdowns in his last five games.
Junior running back Luke Lippincott topped the 100-yard mark for the fifth consecutive game and the seventh time this season (out of 10 games). Lippincott rushed 25 times for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Lippincott also scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter and now has nine touchdowns in his last five games.
Alex Rosenblum’s kick return of 50 yards in the first half was the longest kick return of his career and the longest kick return by Nevada this season.
The safety scored by Hawaii in the first quarter was second allowed this year by Nevada. The first came at Northwestern on Sept. 8.
Nevada has never been shutout as a member of Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) and has not been shutout since Sept. 27, 1980, a streak of 327 games that is the longest in the nation and the second-longest all-time. 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.
Nevada was shutout in the first quarter for just the third time this season.
Marko Mitchell’s streak of five straight games with a touchdown reception came to an end. The streak was tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation. Mitchell finished the game with 70 yards on 3 receptions.
Starting lineup changes: Senior Paul Pratt started at cornerback in place of redshirt freshman Kenny Viser; Senior Jay Dixon started at defensive end in place of redshirt freshman Kevin Basped; Nevada opened with a double-tight end formation with Junior Puloka starting in place of wide receiver Mike McCoy.
Nevada Quotes
Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault
“That was one heck of a ball game. Hats off to Hawai’I, they played well, both offensively and defensively.”
“We had our chances, our offense just could not move the ball at the end when we needed it. They (Hawai’i) were able to move the ball and convert.”
“I was very pleased with our guys. I saw some things happen that hasn’t been happening defensively this year. I’m happy about that.”
“The defense played well, especially in the fourth quarter. They just kept them in check in those third and fourth down situations.”
“It was a good ball game, but you’ve got to move that ball in those last two series. We just didn’t get it done.”
“Hawai`i is a good football team. Everyone is always talking about that offense, but they are a good solid defense.”
“We played with some energy and consistency. I thought that consistency was the key. That is something which he had not done on pass coverage before.”
Cornerback Paul Pratt
“I thought we did a great job with containing them on a lot of the pass coverage. I thought he (Graunke) is a good QB. He is definitely the future for Hawai`i.”
“We really stood up, I was impressed. Words can’t describe the disappointment in losing that one. But we seniors won’t have another chance at Hawai`i we’ve just got to move on.”
“There was not a second where we thought we weren’t going to win on that sideline. We had faith all the way through and we gave our all.
Hawai'i Quotes
Hawaii coach June Jones on the game:
“I’m proud of the guys. We’re a championship football team. We’re going to show up next week and the week after.”
Junes on the offense:
“We were out of rotation when we don’t have some of our starters.”
Junes on quarterback Tyler Graunke:
“He did what he practiced to do. He’s a winner.”
Hawaii quarterback Tyler Graunke on the game:
“That was a total team victory right there. We never won in Reno, and I really wanted to step up and prove to my team and help them rally.”
