Week #8 - Air Force (2-4, 1-2 MW) at Nevada (1-6, 1-2 MW)
Date: Friday, Oct. 20
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. PT
Stadium: Mackay Stadium
Location: Reno, Nev.
Television: CBS Sports Network
Radio: Wolf Pack Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM/630 AM); NevadaWolfPack.com/audio; TuneIn App
Series: Air Force leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: L, 45-38 - Nov. 15, 2014

SERIES HISTORY
Friday marks just the fourth game to be played between Nevada and Air Force. The Falcons have the slight edge in the all-time series, winning two of the previous three games. The series began with games in three consecutive seasons but the Wolf Pack and Falcons have not played one another since the 2014 season when Air Force won a 45-38 contest in overtime in Colorado Springs. All three of the previous matchups have been high scoring affairs as Air Force is averaging 45.0 points per game and Nevada is averaging 38.0 points per game and neither team has scored less than 31 points.

STRONG QB PLAY
Junior Ty Gangi is starting to come into his own leading Nevada's Air Raid offense. In his last two starts, Gangi has completed 66.7 percent (48-of-72) of his passes for 706 yards and thrown eight touchdowns to just one interception. Against Hawai'i he became the first Nevada player to throw four TD passes in a single game since 2011, and followed that up with a repeat performance the next week at Colorado State. In a near upset at CSU Gangi passed for 428 yards, the most by a Nevada QB since 2001 and the first 400-yard passing performance in a decade. Gangi has thrown 14 TD passes this season, which ranks second in the conference and 20th nationally.

As a team the Wolf Pack racked up 508 passing yards between three players (Gangi, RB Kelton Moore, QB Cristian Solano). The 508 passing yards were the eighth-most in a single game in program history and the most since 2001. Using some trickery, Moore slung a 57-yard TD pass to true freshman McLane Mannix in the first quarter and Solano picked up a first down on a fake field goal attempt in the second quarter, a 23-yard pass to true freshman Reagan Roberson.

DEMPS CONTINUES TO SHINE
Senior WR Wyatt Demps has been one of the Wolf Pack's top targets all season long. Demps leads the team with 42 receptions and is averaging 12.3 yards per catch. Demps has caught seven touchdowns through seven games, which ranks first in the Mountain West and is third nationally, five behind the national leader, David Sills of West Virginia. Additionally his receiving yards total of 518 yards is in the top 40 in the nation, fifth in the league. At Colorado State he established a new career long reception when he hauled in a 65-yard TD catch.

OFFENSIVE CLICKING
Nevada's Air Raid offensive scheme seems to be clicking following back-to-back weeks with over 500 yards of total offense. The Wolf Pack is averaging 7.8 yards per play in its last two games and 38.5 points per game. In all the Pack has recorded 23 explosive plays (rush of 15+ yards, pass of 20+ yards), 13 against Hawai'i (season best) and 10 at Colorado State, most of which have been through the air. Nevada's passing offense has now jumped to second-best in the Mountain West, averaging 263.6 yards per game.

Last Saturday at Colorado State, the Wolf Pack had two players with over 100 yards receiving in the game, true freshman McLane Mannix (150) and sophomore Brenden O'Leary-Orange (111), career highs for both. It marked the first time Nevada had two players with over 100 receiving yards in a single game since Brandon Wimberly (134) and Aaron Bradley (135) each had over 100 against Air Force in 2013.

DEFENSIVE SPARK
Senior LB Austin Paulhus has established himself as one of the top defenders on the Wolf Pack. In just his second full season on the field with Nevada, Paulhus ranks second on the team with 58 total tackles. Paulhus has been especially good at dragging the opposition down behind the line as he enters week 8 ranked 23rd nationally and second in the conference with 1.4 tackles for loss per game. His 10.0 TFLs, which total 35 yards, include 2.5 sacks.

PACK'S TOP FIVE MARKS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Nevada ranks in the top five in the Mountain West in the following statistical categories: first downs offense (3rd, 144), fumbles lost (4th, 4), fumbles recovered (5th, 6), passing offense (2nd, 263.6), team tackles for loss (2nd, 7.3).

THE RUFUS ON FIRE
Junior DB Asauni Rufus has proved to be one of the best defensive members of the Wolf Pack and has shown why through the first half of the season. In his seven games he ranks third on the team with 44 tackles, but made 10 at Washington State, a season high. He has also added 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass break ups, has forced two fumbles and recovered two more. Additionally he went over the 200 tackle mark for his career, needing 36 more to pass John Ramatici for 10th all-time.

MOORE EARNS MW WEEKLY HONOR
Sophomore RB Kelton Moore was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, for the first time in his career, following his week 6 performance against Hawai'i. Moore finished the game with 216 rushing yards on just 19 carries, averaging 11.4 yards per rush. He was the first Nevada player to rush for 200 yards in a game since 2012. Additionally his 216 rushing yards were the 15th-most in an FBS game this season and second-most by a Mountain West player.
 
Aside from his rushing numbers, Moore also posted career numbers in receiving with five receptions for 46 yards and his first career receiving touchdown. That touchdown reception came on a 4th-and-6 for the Wolf Pack and went 22 yards for, what proved to be, the game-winning score, putting Nevada ahead 28-14 at the time.

During the game Moore broke two runs of over 40 yards, which set the Pack up inside Hawai'i territory and led to two touchdowns. His career long rush of 66 yards in the first quarter, which was the longest rush by a Nevada player since 2015, set the Pack up at the UH 14-yard line and led to the team's first points of the game, tying the score at 7-7. In the second quarter he scampered down to the UH 32-yard line on a 43-yard rush, which led Nevada to another game-tying score.

CORBETT RECEIVES MULTIPLE HONORS
Senior offensive lineman Austin Corbett has earned a slew of award nominations this season. Most recently Corbett was named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy and a candidate for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award. He was one of 181 semifinalists for the Campbell Trophy, which is presented to the top football scholar-athlete in the nation by the National Football Foundation. Corbett was one of just 30 FBS players from around the country to earn a nomination for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes those who excel both on and off the field in four primary categories: community, classroom, character and competition.

YOUNG GUNS
Through the first half games of the season, head coach Jay Norvell hasn't wasted any time in getting his true freshmen some experience. So far there have been 10 true freshmen that have seen time on the field for Nevada: QB Kaymen Cureton, DT Chris Green, WR McLane Mannix, DB Nephi Sewell, TE Reagan Roberson, RB Russell Booze, WR Elijah Cooks, DB Austin Arnold, WR Berdale Robins and WR Daiyan Henley. Most have made significant contributions too. Mannix has five touchdown receptions and over 500 yards receiving, Henley has two touchdown receptions under his belt, Sewell is flying around on defense with 37 tackles and an interception, Robins totaled over 100 kickoff return yards against Idaho State and Cureton got his first start at QB vs. the Bengals.

Additionally, Nevada has started four as those true freshmen this season (Sewell, Cureton, Mannix, Henley), which is tied for 10th-most in the nation:

1. 14 Illinois (7 offense, 7 defense)
2. 9 Ball State (4 offense, 5 defense)
    9 Baylor (5 offense, 4 defense)
4. 8 LSU (4 offense, 4 defense)
    8 Texas A&M (4 offense, 4 defense)
6. 6 Oregon (2 offense, 4 defense)
7. 5 Connecticut (1 offense, 4 defense)
    5 Georgia (2 offense, 3 defense)
    5 Texas State (3 offense, 2 defense)
10. 4 Georgia State (2 offense, 2 defense)
      4 Nevada (3 offense, 1 defense)
      4 South Carolina (2 offense, 2 defense)
      4 Texas (4 offense, 0 defense)

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCES
True freshman WR McLane Mannix turned some heads in the season opener at Northwestern, racking up 76 yards on just two catches, but he has since followed that up with even more impressive outings. To date, the Texas native has made 36 receptions (second on the team) on the year, including a 75-yard touchdown reception against Toledo.

Not only was the 75-yard touchdown reception against Toledo a career long reception for Mannix and a career long pass for QB Ty Gangi, but it was also the longest pass play by the Wolf Pack since 2011 when Tyler Lantrip hit Rashard Matthews for 90 yards against UNLV. Last week at Colorado State Mannix totaled 150 receiving yards, a new career best and his second 100-yard performance of the season. It was the most receiving yards in a game by a Wolf Pack player since Jerico Richardson posted 177 against Southern Utah in 2014.

Mannix began his collegiate career with touchdown receptions in back-to-back-to-back games and is already over 500 yards receiving. His five touchdown receptions are 25th-most in the nation, and his total of 569 receiving yards ranks 24th nationally and fourth in the Mountain West.

TWO-DEEPS CLASS BREAKDOWN
The Wolf Pack's depth chart on offense and defense consists of: nine seniors, 16 juniors, 10 sophomores, eight redshirt freshmen and five true freshmen.

WALK-ON SURPRISE
In Nevada's game against Toledo, the Pack had a new face on kickoff duty for the second half. Ramiz Ahmed, who had been cleared to play the night before the contest, suited up for the Wolf Pack and handled two kickoffs in the second half. Ahmed impressed in his debut, sending both of his kickoffs well into the endzone for touchbacks. Through his six games played, he has taken 25 kickoffs and had 14 go for touchbacks. Ahmed made the team via the walk-on tryouts held a couple of weeks prior.

SCHOLARSHIP ALERT
A total of four Wolf Pack student-athletes, formerly walk-ons, were awarded scholarships during fall camp: senior OL Thomas Newton, junior TE Trae Carter-Wells, sophomore PK Spencer Pettit and sophomore RB Maliek Broady.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Wolf Pack's 2017 schedule consists of eight teams that advanced to bowl games last season; Northwestern, Pinstripe Bowl; Toledo, Raycom Media Camellia Bowl; Washington State, Holiday Bowl; Hawai'i, Hawai'i Bowl; Colorado State, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; Air Force, NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl; Boise State, Cactus Bowl; San Diego State, Las Vegas Bowl.

GETTING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
After summer classes had commenced, the Wolf Pack football team posted a cumulative grade-point average of 3.008 for the 5,667 credit hours current members of the team had logged. The 5,667 credit hours take in to account every credit hour by every current member of the team, which dates back to 2013. Nevada is one of just three FBS schools to accomplish this, along with Northwestern and Boise State.

DEGREES COMPLETED
A total of nine Nevada football student-athletes have already obtained a college degree prior to the start of the 2017 season. That number is tied for sixth-most in the nation along with Kent State, New Mexico, South Alabama, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Wolf Pack players with degrees in hand are: Justin Brent, Austin Corbett, Ziad Damanhoury, Jimbo Davis, Sean Krepsz, Ryan Mack, Thomas Newton, Jaden Sawyer and Travis Wilson.

OH BROTHER
Nevada's roster for 2017 contains two sets of brothers: Clifford and Devin Porter, Gabriel and Nephi Sewell. The Porter brothers are local products from Reno and graduates of Hug High School. The Sewell brothers hail from Nevada's neighbor to the east, Utah, and are both graduates of Desert Hills High School in the town of St. George.

LOGGING FEWER MILES
The difference between miles traveled for Nevada's 2016 season compared to its 2017 season is significantly lighter. Last year, with two trips to Indiana and one to Hawai'i, the Wolf Pack logged a season total of 8,487 miles. In 2017, with just one trip to the Midwest and most others on the western side of the country, the Pack will log just 4,852 miles, a 3,635 mile difference.

PROGRAM HISTORY
Nevada is in its 111th season of collegiate football, seeking win No. 542 in the program's strong history. The Wolf Pack sports an all-time record of 541-480-33 (.550). Since joining the FBS in 1992, Nevada is 165-146 overall and 107-76 in conference play.

NEW VOICES OF THE PACK
For the 2017 season there will be a couple of new voices of Nevada football making their debut on the Wolf Pack Radio Network this season. John Ramey takes over for Ryan Radtke as the play-by-play voice, while former Pack standout Mike Edwards replaces Kevin Grimes as the color analyst.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Head coach Jay Norvell has implemented a different system for team captains that what has been done in the past. Instead of captains set for the entire year, Norvell and his staff will select game-by-game team captains.

Northwestern: Malik Reed, Spencer Pettit, Austin Corbett, Ty Gangi
Toledo: Wes Farnsworth, Spencer Pettit, Wyatt Demps, Austin Paulhus
Idaho State: Malik Reed, Spencer Pettit, Sean Krepsz, Kaymen Cureton
Washington State: Malik Reed, Spencer Pettit, Kelton Moore, Wyatt Demps
Fresno State: Asauni Rufus, Ty Gangi, Jimbo Davis, Malik Reed
Hawai'i: Austin Corbett, Spencer Pettit, Hausia Sekona, Wyatt Demps
Colorado State: Austin Paulhus, Spencer Pettit, Kelton Moore, Trae Carter-Wells

WINNING SEASONS
Nevada has posted winning seasons in six out of its past eight campaigns.

GRITIRON LUNCHES
The Wolf Pack's booster luncheons return this year with four dates set and a new location for 2017. Coach Jay Norvell's "Gritiron" luncheons will recap games to date and preview upcoming opponents at the luncheons, which are open to the public. This year's luncheons are $20 per person will be held at the Eldorado in Reno on Nov. 6, with one scheduled for the Carson Valley Inn in Minden (Oct. 23). Doors open at 11:45 a.m. and the program begins at 12:15 p.m. For more information, call 775-682-6901.

COACHING STAFF
Jay Norvell enters his first season at the helm of the Wolf Pack football program, his first stint as a head coach. Norvell brought with him an entirely new coaching staff, minus a few remaining graduate assistants from last season.

Jeff Casteel, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Matt Mumme, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Timmy Chang, Inside Receivers
Jason Kaufusi, Defensive Line
Matt Kirk, Safeties
Mason Miller, Offensive Line
Eric Scott, Outside Receivers
Courtney Viney, Cornerbacks
David White, Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
Tommy Perry/Vai Taua, Special Teams Analysts
Jeff Nady/Brandon Crosby, Offensive GAs
John Landwehr/Alec Drudi, Defensive GAs