April 14, 2015
RENO, Nev. -- With one day of extended live scrimmage work in the books and a road trip to Douglas High School on tap this weekend, third-year Nevada coach Brian Polian is pleased with his team's progress as the Wolf Pack passed the mid-way point of spring football this week.
"I am pleased with our effort and pleased with our development at certain spots with our younger players," Polian said this week. "The competition has been good. The guys are working hard. We ran 92 plays in our first scrimmage and this Saturday at Douglas High will be the most extended scrimmage work we will do this spring."
With seven practices remaining from the 15 allotted by the NCAA, Nevada will hit the turf at Wolf Pack Park twice this week before taking the show on the road Saturday. The team will practice at Douglas High School in Minden with two hours of live scrimmage work on tap.
"We'll probably do more there in terms of scrimmaging than we will in the spring game," Polian said. "We'll do a lot of situations -- red zone, kicking game situations, move the ball around, seven-on-seven pass skeleton and so on. We're going to get two good hours of work in and we're excited to be down at Douglas and spend some time with the fans there in the Carson Valley."
Gates at Douglas High open at noon and Polian will have a microphone from 12:15-12:45 p.m. to speak with fans and answer questions. The team will hit the field at 1 p.m. and select players will be available to sign autographs afterward.
Lotus Radio will be doing a live remote from Douglas High from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Scheels will provide free hot dogs, soft drinks and giveaways.
Saturday's scrimmage will mark another opportunity for Wolf Pack players to show their development and compete for their names to be penciled on to the depth chart. Last week, the 92-play scrimmage gave the coach staff plenty of tape to work with and begin their evaluations.
"It goes a long way in terms of establishing a first version of the depth chart," Polian said. "Those reps are real live reps and we had officials out there throwing flags. It's evidence. It's a measuring stick. Frankly, it was probably better than it was at this time last year. I felt good coming off the field on Saturday."
The public eye is squarely on the quarterback battle where junior Tyler Stewart, sophomore Danté Mayes and freshman Hunter Fralick are competing to replace Cody Fajardo. Polian does not believe a starter will emerge until well into fall camp in August, and says the competition thus far has "been really good."
"I very much like the way they are helping one another," Polian said. "I like how they are cheering for one another. I've spent a lot of time in that meeting room this spring. I like the way they are preparing.
"Overall, the competitions at some of the spots where jobs are open has been good and the places you expect to have veteran players, they have practiced like veterans."
Polian highlighted the play thus far by running backs Don Jackson and James Butler. He noted that sophomore wideout Wyatt Demps has had a solid spring so far, as has junior Brayden Sanchez.
Defensively, Nevada has a stout front returning, with senior ends Lenny Jones and Ian Seau leading the way. The linebacking corps is a veteran unit, with starters Jordan Dobrich, Bryan Lane and Matthew Lyons returning. Senior Faigofie Faaituala has flashed so far this spring as well.
"Just like last year, it looks like we have four linebackers at three spots except instead of Jon McNeal, you have Fie," Polian said. "That's been a good position this spring. Duran Workman (moving to) the SAM nickel behind Bryan Lane has been a good move for him. It gets him closer to the box and there's more of a comfort level for him."
On paper, there are questions about the secondary where Nevada will be breaking in four new starters. And there might be a bump or two in the road as the Pack goes through that process.
"In terms of experience, we lost a bit," Polian said. "Athletically, we may gain a little bit."
Sophomore Kendall Johnson moved from cornerback to safety in the offseason and he's vying for one starting job while redshirt freshman Asauni Rufus is looking for the other one. At corner, Randy Uzoma has stood out and fellow junior Elijah Mitchell had a strong performance in last week's scrimmage. They're joined in the competition by, among others, freshmen Elijah Moody and Ahki Muhammad.
"The safeties, they are both physically ready to play right now," Polian said. "The thing is going to be, who is going to communicate and take charge? All four corners are playing well right now. Randy Uzoma is playing the best he's ever played."
The coaches will be eyeing every position throughout the final seven practices of spring camp, which includes Saturday at Douglas High and the Silver and Blue Spring Game on April 25 at Mackay Stadium. Asked for one that sticks out right now, Polian didn't hesitate.
"We've had some injuries on the offensive line and that's been some bad luck ... But we have to get that right tackle spot solidified," he said.
