Nevada Notes
The season-opening win is the first of its kind for Nevada since the Wolf Pack beat Southern Utah to open the 2003 season. The Wolf Pack’s 49 points were the most for Nevada in a season-opening victory since the team turned in a 50-8 win over UNLV on Sept 7, 1991 at Mackay Stadium.
Nevada coach Chris Ault is now 15-9 in season openers. Since Nevada went to the NCAA FBS in 1993, Nevada is 4-13 in season openers.
Nevada’s first three defensive plays consisted of two tackles for loss and an interception.
Brandon Marshall’s first-quarter interception was the first of his career, while Kevin Grimes picked off the first pass of his career in the fourth quarter.
Vai Taua’s 62-yard run in the second quarter is the longest of his career. His previous long was 20 yards (vs. Nicholls State 2007)
Taua’s two-touchdown performance was the first of his career. He scored one touchdown all of last season.
Taua also carried the ball 12 times for 103 yards, marking the first 100-yard rushing game of his Wolf Pack career.
Colin Kaepernick ran for three touchdowns in the game, the first time in his career that he has accomplished the feat.
Starters: Antoine Thompson started at cornerback with Doyle Miller as the backup. It was listed as an OR on the depth chart ... Offensively, Nevada opened in a double tight-end set with Virgil Green getting his first career start
Et Cetera: Colin Kaepernick completed five of his first six attempts for 45 yards ... Virgil Green’s first career catch came in the second quarter.
Nevada Quotes
Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault
On Defense Overall:
“Gave up too many big plays, we shouldn’t have. (Grambling) is an offensive team, they’re trying to find a way to get something done and they had some broken plays and they got behind us.”
On Goal Line Defense:
“Goal Line Stands were excellent; we showed nice energy and a good attitude. I was pleased with that.”
On Offense:
“We didn’t play as consistently as we could at the quarterback position. There were some good signs overall and there are some things we can do better. Our running backs are a tough, a tough group.”
On Defensive Secondary:
“That’s a major concern for us. There is a lack of discipline when (Grambling) was getting behind us. Open Field teams, like those in our conference, will get behind us and that can’t happen.”
On Turnovers:
“Two were by captains, one cost us the shutout. That’s upsetting, it really is, our defense is working very hard, and we do that and put them in a difficult situation.”
Nevada Quarterback Nick Graziano
On the game:
“Starting off the season 1-0 gives us momentum for next week and it leads into a good week of practice.”
“I felt comfortable. I had a couple of bad plays a fumble and a sack and those are inexcusable but they give me something to work on.”
On the offense:
“We definitely could have done better. We need to execute better and we’ve got to do that to have a change to beat a Big 12 team.”
On running a no-huddle offense:
“We focused on that a lot in camp. We are playing a faster-paced game.”
Nevada linebacker Dontay Moch
On the game:
“It feels great. We are trying to go out there and do our best.”
On his two sacks:
“I love being in the backfield. It’s like my second home. I feel comfortable back there.”
The defense’s goal line stand:
“We have trust on our team and we compete. That is something we want to do is be powerful and keep them out.”
Nevada running back Luke Lippincott:
On how he felt after missing practice Monday:
“I felt good and felt like all the running backs did good. I’m doing pretty well and I’m happy with it. We had a good showing and it was fun.”
On facing a Big 12 opponent:
“We’re done with our win and we’re putting it behind us. The Texas Tech game is big for us and I’m glad we can play at home.”
On the offensive line:
“We had over 400 yards rushing and that is how we’ve been practicing. The offensive line is a good group of leaders on our team and they showed it on the field.
Nevada Quarterback Colin Kaepernick
On the team’s first touchdown:
“It’s always good to get the jitters out and our offense was solid tonight. We still made some mistakes though. It was good to get the first win under our belts. The offensive line dominated for us tonight.”
