Coming off its fourth straight bowl game appearance, the Nevada football team enters spring drills with momentum and stability on its side. The coaching staff returns intact and no major scheme changes or overhauls are in the works. Fifteen starters are back along with a host of young players eager to move up the depth chart.
“Obviously we are excited about spring practice because we feel we have a lot to build on,” head coach Chris Ault said. “There is a lot to get accomplished and we’re ready to get after it.”
Ault has laid out goals for each phase of the team entering spring practice.
“Offensively, we want to modify some of the things that we have doing within the Pistol offense and that includes widening the spectrum of the passing game,” Ault said. “Defensively, we need to form and build a rock. We are going to be very basic this spring on defense. We are going to be basic but we are going to be aggressive.”
And in a rare move, Ault said the Pack will go live with extended special teams work during the 15-practice spring session.
“That’s not something we’ve done a lot of in the past but we are going to do it this year. We’ve been very sporadic on special teams and that is an area where we must get better.
The Wolf Pack players are coming off a five-week winter conditioning program and the spring practice session will precede another spring conditioning program that will start in late March.
“I am pleased with the results out of the conditioning program that we just went through,” Ault said. “I really liked the work ethic that I saw.”
Nevada begins practice on Friday, Feb. 20 and will go three straight days with its initial practices. After that, it will settle into a Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday-Saturday routine until the spring scrimmage on March 14.
OFFENSE
A big priority during spring ball will be the development of the quarterbacks behind WAC Offensive Player of the Year Colin Kaepernick. Sophomores Luke Collis and Tyler Lantrip each saw brief playing time in the Pistol last season but will need to develop this year with the departure of last year’s backup, Nick Graziano.
Lantrip and Collis were going to see plenty of repetitions this spring regardless as Nevada needs one or both to elevate their level of play. But with Kaepernick still hobbled from an ankle injury suffered against Maryland in the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, the two sophomores will a majority of time this spring.
“Colin is not going to be involved in all drills and he will not go through any contact drills,” Ault said. “Those two kids are fighting for time and we were going to give them a hard look this spring. But Colin is not 100 percent so this kind of forces the issue.”
Depth is not a problem at running back, where Nevada has first-team All-WAC selection Vai Taua returning and leading a strong stable of capable backs. Junior Courtney Randall and sophomore Lampford Mark both saw playing time last year behind Taua while senior Brandon Fragger enters spring ball healthy and Nevada will also see what freshman Mike Ball can do after redshirting last season.
And that group doesn’t even include Luke Lippincott, the 2007 WAC rushing leader who missed almost all of last year with an injury. Nevada is seeking a sixth year medical hardship for Lippincott, who also missed the 2005 season because of injury. The WAC has approved the hardship and the case is in front of the NCAA. There is no timetable for a decision and Lippincott will only be involved in individual non-contact workouts this spring as he recovers from his ACL injury.
“That’s a good group,” Ault said. “Vai is coming off a great year and we really liked what we saw out of Courtney last year. We really need to see more of Mark and Ball.”
The receiving corps lost two key members with the graduation of Marko Mitchell and Mike McCoy.
“That’s seven years of experience right there,” Ault said. “So there is a lot of stuff that is wide open with the receivers. At the same time, we want to expand what we are doing in the passing game. So there is going to be a lot of work to get done in terms of fundamentals. Running routes the right way is one thing but there also needs to be an understanding of why we are doing the things we do.”
Chris Wellington had somewhat of a breakout season in 2008 and will be counted on to take the next step this year and Art King returns for his senior year. A lot of eyes will be on four new faces in the depth chart. Junior Malcolm Shepherd and freshman Brandon Wimberly are coming off redshirt years and will be looking to make an impact. Meanwhile, juco Maurice Patterson transferred in at the semester and grayshirt L.J. Washington enrolled in January as well.
“We are very anxious to see what those guys can do,” Ault said. “We’ve been pleased with what each has shown in the conditioning phase.”
Tight end Virgil Green returns for his junior year and senior Talaiasi Puloka gives Nevada a veteran presence at that position. The Pack will be without Kevin Bohr, a senior-to-be who missed half of last season with an injury. Youngsters Josh Morrow and Zach Sudfeld will have an opportunity to show what they can do at the tight end position during spring ball.
Two anchors returns on the offensive line in senior weakside tackle Alonzo Durham and junior strongside tackle Mike Gallett. Both received some postseason accolades in 2008 and will be among the best linemen in the conference in 2009. Two other full- or part-time starters return this year as well in junior guard John Bender and senior center Kenneth Ackerman, who can play guard but is penciled in at center entering the spring.
There will be a number of young faces in the depth chart this year as sophomores Steve Haley and Jeff Meads and redshirt freshmen Chris Barker and Steve Werner will be given plenty of reps during spring ball.
The Union also welcomes a trio of new members, starting with mid-year transfer Jose Acuna. The other newcomers are Scott Frisbie, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman Jon Rabe, who are moving over from the defensive line.
“Scott has a motor just goes and goes and we like him at guard,” Ault said. “Rabe played both ways in high school and he has a demeanor that is better suited for the offensive side.”
DEFENSE
This will be the second season under Nigel Burton’s 4-3 scheme and the growing pains that the Pack endured last year are expected to pay off this season.
“We are all about reality there is no perception,” Ault said about the defense. “The defense has to be better and will be better. We are going to be vanilla and generic and we are going to flat-out get after it.”
Up front, the Pack returns the pillars of the pass-rush in Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch, a pair of junior All-WAC honorees who combined for 36 tackles for loss in 2008 as sophomores.
“Those guys up front will set the tone,” Ault said. “Kevin is bigger and better and I’ve been very pleased with his work ethic. Dontay, he just has to get better against the run and he knows that.”
Junior Ryan Coulson and sophomore Brett Roy will provide depth on the ends along with redshirt freshman Mark Forrest and senior Daniel Agaiava.
In the middle, senior Nate Agaiava returns at the right tackle spot and fellow senior Chris Slack will be looking to secure a starting job at the other tackle position. Sophomores
Zack Madonick and Mike Andrews will also be vying for playing time, as will grayshirt Jack Reynoso, who enrolled in January.
The linebacking corps has solid depth at each position despite the loss of multi-year starters Joshua Mauga and Jerome Johnson.
Senior Mike Bethea, who impressed as a juco transfer last year despite battling injury, will move into the middle linebacker spot along with sophomore Joe Easter and junior Jared Silva-Purcell. Sophomore Brandon Marshall and junior Adam Liranzo will battle at the Wolf linebacker and sophomore James-Michael Johnson returns to the Sam linebacker spot after a solid freshman season.
A new face to the linebacking corps this year will be Kevin Grimes, a junior who played extensively at safety last year. He’ll move to one of the outside backer spots this season. Sophomore Deantae Green and redshirt freshman Albert Rosette will also figure into the depth outside.
Sophomore Kaelin Burnett, the defensive scout teamer of the year last year, suffered a shoulder injury recently and will miss spring drills.
About the only thing that is certain about the secondary is that senior cornerback Antoine Thompson and senior safety Jonathon Amaya will be fixtures in the depth chart. But pretty much everything is up competition this year.
Nevada brought in eight defensive backs last year and redshirted most of them. So a number of new faces like Ahmad Wood, Khalid Wooten, Marlon Johnson, Mose Denton and Thaddeus Brown will be in the mix this year, fighting for playing time with returners Doyle Miller, Isaiah Frey and Mo Harvey.
“This is their time to get after it,” Ault said.
Junior Mike Evans will miss camp as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered last season.
