Week #10 - Nevada (1-7, 1-3 MW) at Boise State (6-2, 4-0 MW)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Kickoff: 4 p.m. PT
Stadium: Albertsons Stadium
Location: Boise, Idaho
Television: ESPNU
Radio: Wolf Pack Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM/630 AM); NevadaWolfPack.com/audio; TuneIn App
Series: Boise State leads, 28-13
Last Meeting: L, 51-46 - Oct. 4, 2014

SERIES HISTORY
The Wolf Pack and Broncos have one of the longest running series in program history at 41 games and have developed a rivalry among them. Saturday will mark the first meeting between these two teams since the 2014 season. To the 2014 season, Nevada and Boise State had played one another in 14 consecutive seasons. The Broncos lead the series 28-13 and have won 14 of the last 15 meetings.
 
STRONG QB PLAY
Junior Ty Gangi is starting to come into his own leading Nevada's Air Raid offense. In his last three starts, Gangi has completed 61.9 percent (65-of-105) of his passes for 945 yards and thrown 10 touchdowns to just one interception. Gangi has not thrown a pick in two consecutive games. 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 16 TD passes this season, which ranks second in the conference and 25th nationally.
 
As a team the Wolf Pack racked up 508 passing yards between three players (Gangi, RB Kelton Moore, QB Cristian Solano) at Colorado State. 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 45 receptions and is averaging 12.4 yards per catch. Demps has caught eight touchdowns through eight games, which ranks first in the Mountain West and is seventh nationally, seven behind the national leader, David Sills of West Virginia. Additionally his receiving yards total of 558 yards is in the top 60 in the nation, fifth in the league. He has a streak going of 20 consecutive games with a reception, dating back to last year. With one more TD reception, Demps will break into the top 10 in career receiving TDs at Nevada (currently at 17).

OFFENSIVE CLICKING
Nevada's Air Raid offensive scheme seems to be clicking with two weeks of over 500 yards of total offense. The Wolf Pack is averaging 7.8 yards per play in its last three games and 39.7 points per game. In all the Pack has recorded 30 explosive plays (rush of 15+ yards, pass of 20+ yards), 13 against Hawai'i (season best), 10 at Colorado State and seven against Air Force, most of which have been through the air. Nevada's passing offense has now jumped to second-best in the Mountain West, averaging 264.0 yards per game.
 
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.
 
SPREAD THE WEALTH
Nevada and its Air Raid system have spread the wealth out to a high number of its receivers through eight games. Wolf Pack quarterbacks have found the hands of 17 receivers this season, which ranks in a tie for fifth-most in the nation. Clemson leads the way with 19 receivers having caught a pass, Utah State, USC and TCU rank second with 18. Nevada's list of 17 receivers is diverse enough to include nine true wide receivers, five running backs and three tight ends.
 
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 first on the team with 79 total tackles. In the team's last game against Air Force, Paulhus established a new career high with an almost unheard of 21 tackles, third-most all-time in a single game in program history. Paulhus has been especially good at dragging the opposition down behind the line as he enters week 10 ranked 37th nationally and third in the conference with 1.3 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: fewest penalties (4th, 43), fewest penalties per game (4th, 5.38), fumbles lost (3rd, 4), fumbles recovered (5th, 7), kickoff returns (4th, 21.74), passing offense (2nd, 264.0), tackles for loss allowed (5th, 4.75), team tackles for loss (3rd, 7.0).
 
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 eight games he ranks third on the team with 68 tackles and made an almost unheard of 24 tackles in the team's last game against Air Force, one shy of tying the single game school record. 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 12 more to pass John Ramatici for 10th all-time.
 
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 11 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, LB Mar'Quette Jackson and WR Daiyan Henley. Most have made significant contributions too. Mannix has six touchdown receptions and over 600 yards receiving, Henley has three touchdown receptions under his belt, Sewell is flying around on defense with 42 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 41 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. 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 600 yards receiving. His six touchdown receptions are 28th-most in the nation, and his total of 611 receiving yards ranks 42nd 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 seven games played, he has taken 33 kickoffs and had 19 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 541-481-33 (.550). Since joining the FBS in 1992, Nevada is 165-147 overall and 107-77 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
Air Force: Trae Carter-Wells, Anthony Hankins, Ty Gangi, Malik Reed
 
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 one date remaining 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. 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