RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada football team will take on a challenging schedule in 2011 that features two games against projected Top 25 teams and five games against future Mountain West Conference foes in a schedule released today.
“As the athletics director, I am not happy with not having a home game in September and I know Coach Ault isn’t happy either,” Cary Groth said. “This schedule presents a number of challenges but I am confident that our football program will rise to meet those challenges.”
Nevada’s tough non-conference schedule includes games at Oregon, Texas Tech and Boise State as well as home games against UNLV and New Mexico. Nevada will defend its Western Athletic Conference crown with four of its seven conference games at home and will play just three WAC road games. The home slate of WAC games includes Fresno State and Hawaii making trips to Mackay Stadium.
Nevada fans will have the opportunity to see a four of its future Mountain West foes in action in the first four games at home as UNLV, New Mexico, Fresno State and Hawaii will all come to Mackay Stadium. The bye week is also situated well during the first week of November, giving the Pack a week off after eight games and before the final four games of the season.
“As it is now, the early-season schedule is a grind,” said head coach Chris Ault. “My biggest concern is not losing our momentum from the 2010 season with our first home game being in October.”
Keith Hackett, Nevada’s senior associate athletics director, said Nevada worked tirelessly to adjust the early part of the schedule.
“Most non-conference games are scheduled years in advance and starting with the conference movement last summer, there were considerable obstacles in our way to adjust the schedule to best fit our program in a short amount of time,” Hackett said. “We worked with the MWC, the WAC, our television partners and dozens of other schools around the country to add a home game to our schedule earlier in the season. The reality is that we are between the WAC and the Mountain West Conference.
“With such a short window, none of the compromise solutions that we had worked out were able to be completed prior to today’s announcement by the WAC.”
Season ticket prices will remain the same in 2011 with general admission seats costing $95 and reserved seating starting at $125.
While there is a not a home game in September, Nevada will be offering free tickets to the Pack’s road game against San Jose State on Sept. 17 to all Nevada season ticket holders. More details will be available at a later date.
Kickoff times for each game will be announced at a later date, as will the television schedule.
The Wolf Pack will open the season on the road as the Pack travels to Oregon on Sept. 10 to face the nationally ranked Ducks. Then comes a rarity – a conference game in September as Nevada will travel to San Jose State for the Western Athletic Conference opener on Sept. 17.
Nevada will then take on Texas Tech in Lubbock before traveling to Boise, Idaho to face Boise State in a rematch of last year’s ESPN “Game of the Year” in which the Wolf Pack took a 34-31 overtime victory over the third-ranked Broncos. This will be the first non-conference game between the teams since 1994 when Nevada was a member of the Big West Conference and Boise State was in the Big Sky Conference.
The Wolf Pack opens up the six-game home schedule at Mackay Stadium on Oct. 8 with the annual Battle for the Fremont Cannon against UNLV. The Wolf Pack has won six straight against the Rebels as this year will mark the last time that the rivalry game will be a non-conference game as Nevada will be in the Mountain West next season.
Another future MWC foe will come to Mackay Stadium the following week as Nevada will take on New Mexico on Oct. 15.
The final six games are all WAC games as Nevada concludes a three-game homestand with Fresno State coming to Mackay on Oct. 22 to meet for the final time as WAC members before both teams move to the Mountain West next season.
The Wolf Pack will then hit the road for its final trip to New Mexico State on Oct. 29 and Nevada will then enjoy a bye during the week of Nov. 5.
The final four games of the regular season will feature three games at Mackay Stadium.
First comes Hawaii on Nov. 12 as Nevada will try to avenge its only loss of the historic 2010 season. The Wolf Pack will then play host to Louisiana Tech on Nov. 19 at Mackay Stadium.
The final road trip of the regular season will be a Nov. 26 game at Utah State.
Nevada will then return home for its final WAC game of the 2011 season and of its tenure in the conference when Idaho comes to Mackay Stadium for the second regular-season December game in Mackay Stadium history on Dec. 3.
Nevada went 13-1 and won the WAC title and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in 2010. It defeated a pair of nationally ranked foes in California and Boise State and finished 11th in the final Top 25 poll of the season.
The Wolf Pack will open spring drills on Friday, March 25 with the annual Silver and Blue spring game scheduled for April 16 at Mackay Stadium. This year’s event will again feature a game-type atmosphere. The team will be split into two squads and the game will be played complete with public address announcers, music, concessions, cheerleaders, dance team and the band. The Fremont Cannon will be on display and the school’s ROTC will fire their cannon after every score.
Admission is free and the day will be full of “fan-fest” activities including: games for children and bounce houses; an Easter Egg Hunt; free BBQ samples from Famous Dave’s; pre-game tailgating in the north parking lot, autograph signing by players and coaches and other giveaways.
