Week #4 - Nevada Wolf Pack (2-1, 0-0 MW) at UTEP Miners (1-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Kickoff: 5 p.m. PT
Stadium: Sun Bowl
Location: El Paso, Texas
Online Stream: ESPN3
Radio: Wolf Pack Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM/630 AM); TuneIn app
Series: Nevada leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 9, 2002; W, 23-17

HOME SWEET HOME
The Wolf Pack has been perfect in two games in Mackay Stadium, boasting a 2-0 record after defeating Purdue 34-31 and Weber State 19-13. The Wolf Pack has accumulated over 400 yards of total offense in each of those contests.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wolf Pack is coming off its second home victory of the season, taking down Weber State 19-13. The defense played lights out for Nevada, only allowing 137 yards of total offense and seven pass completions. Led by linebacker Gabriel Sewell, who recorded a single-game career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, the defense totaled a season-best 10 tackles for loss. The Wildcats only converted 10 first downs, and were held to 1-of-12 on third down.

Nevada's 137 yards of total offense allowed were the lowest an opponent has put up against them since 2011, when it shutout UNLV 37-0 and only surrendered 110 yards.

PIT STOP IN EL PASO
To wrap up its non-conference slate, Nevada will travel to play El Paso, Texas this Saturday to face UTEP with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. PT. The Miners are 1-1 to start the season after earning a 36-34 victory over Houston Baptist to open the year, but lost its last contest to Texas Tech 38-3. Opponents are averaging 36 points per game against UTEP with 136.5 rushing yards and 282 passing yards. The Miners have relied heavily on its rushing attack this season, with 317 yards accumulated on the ground and three of its four offensive touchdowns coming from its ground game. Treyvon Hughes has been UTEP's lead back this season, boasting 33 carries for 171 yards and two scores.

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE
For the first time since 1998, a freshman started at quarterback for the Wolf Pack. Redshirt freshman Carson Strong was named the starting QB for week one midway through fall camp and led the Nevada offense against Purdue, making him the first freshman since Mo Jones in 1998 to get the nod under center in week one. Strong dazzled in his debut, completing 30-of-51 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, including orchestrating a game-tying and game-winning drive in a come-from-behind victory over Purdue to open the season. He threw for a career-high 299 yards against Weber State, making him 2-0 in Mackay Stadium on the year.

This season, Strong has completed 73 passes for 683 yards and three touchdowns with a 110.23 quarterback rating. His 60.8 completion percentage ranks sixth in the Mountain West, while his 683 yards rank fifth in the conference and 56th nationally.

RELIABILITY IS KEY
Senior offensive lineman Jake Nelson has been a reliable component to the Union in each of the last two seasons. Not only has Nelson established himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the conference, earning preseason All-MW honors, but Nelson has started in 27 consecutive games. For reference, Nelson has only played in 27 games with the Pack.

NEVADA VS. CONFERENCE USA
Nevada will battle UTEP this Saturday for the first time since 2002, when it defeated the Miners 23-17 in Reno. The Wolf Pack is 2-1 all-time against UTEP, and 1-0 when playing in El Paso. Against current Conference USA opponents, Nevada is 7-3 in its last 10 games and 21-13 all-time.

Last 10 Contests vs. Conference USA
Date    Opponent    Location    Result
Nov. 19, 2011    Louisiana Tech    Reno, Nev.    L, 24-20
Dec. 4, 2010    Louisiana Tech    Ruston, La.    W, 35-17
Oct. 9, 2009    Louisiana Tech    Reno, Nev.    W, 37-14
Nov. 29, 2008    Louisiana Tech    Ruston, La.    W, 35-31
Dec. 1, 2007    Louisiana Tech    Reno, Nev.    W, 49-10
Nov. 18, 2006    Louisiana Tech    Ruston, La.    W, 42-0
Oct. 15, 2005    Louisiana Tech    Reno, Nev.    W, 37-27
Oct. 16, 2004    Rice    Reno, Nev.    W, 35-10
Sept. 6, 2004    Louisiana Tech    Ruston, La.    L, 38-21
Nov. 1, 2005    Rice    Houston, Texas    L, 52-42

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALTON 'BOUT
True freshman kicker Brandon Talton has quickly become a household name among Wolf Pack fans, as he has begun his career 8-for-8 on field goals this season. His 2.67 field goals per game rank second in the NCAA and first in the Mountain West, while he ranks 35th in the NCAA scoring 9.7 points per game. His four field goals against Weber State were the most by a Nevada kicker since Brett Jaekle hit four against Texas Tech in 2008.

Talton drilled the third-longest field goal in program history with three seconds left against Purdue in the season opener to complete a 17-point second-half comeback. His 56-yarder was one of two made on the day, as he also drilled a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter. The 56-yard kick was the fourth-longest in Mountain West history and the longest ever hit by a MW freshman. Talton was awarded a scholarship after the game thanks to his heroics. The Vacaville, Calif. native is a perfect 8-for-8 on the season, one of 32 in the players in Division I to not miss a field goal this year. Talton has twice been named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week.

VAST IMPROVEMENT
In his second season at the helm of the program, Jay Norvell turned the Wolf Pack around in a big way. Nevada went from three wins in 2017 to eight wins in 2018, the most it had won since joining the Mountain West. To put it in perspective, Nevada improved by 4.5 games in 2018 to rank as the seventh-best improvement mark in the NCAA. The Pack posted a 5-3 conference record as well to finish second in the West Division. Norvell and the rest of the team capped off the year with a thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory in the 2018 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, the program's sixth bowl win.

Now in his third season, Norvell has already led Nevada to its second-ever Big Ten victory with a season-opening victory against Purdue and a 2-1 record to open the year, including 2-0 in Mackay Stadium. 

TURNOVER TOWEL
Now in year three of the 3-3-5 stack defense under coordinator Jeff Casteel, the Wolf Pack has emerged as a ball-hawking defense. In 2018, Nevada ranked fourth in takeaways within the Mountain West. Through three games in 2019, Nevada is ninth in the nation, and tops in the MW, with seven takeaways. The Pack's four fumbles recovered so far this season is eighth in the nation and the three interceptions – all by senior cornerback Daniel Brown – is 25th nationally. Brown leads the nation with in interceptions (3) and interceptions per game (1.0).

Going into this week's game at UTEP, Nevada has a streak of eight straight games with a takeaway. The last time Nevada failed to gain a turnover was Oct. 20, 2018 in a 40-22 win at Hawai`i. In that stretch, Nevada is 6-2. The streak:

Oct. 27, 2018    vs. SDSU*    2 (two fumbles)
Nov. 10, 2018    vs. CSU*    1 (one interception)
Nov. 17, 2018    at SJSU*    1 (one interception)
Nov. 24, 2018    at UNLV    1 (one fumble)
Dec. 29, 2018    vs. Ark. St.*    3 (three interceptions)
Aug. 30, 2019    vs. Purdue*    5 (three interceptions, two fumbles)
Sept. 7, 2019    at Oregon    1 (one fumble)
Sept. 14, 2019    vs. Weber St.*    1 (one interception)
* -- victory

COMEBACK KIDS
Nevada rallied from a 17-point deficit midway through the third quarter of its game against Purdue to stun the Boilermakers and tie the second-largest comeback in Nevada history since 1996. The Wolf Pack's other 17-point comeback was during the Miracle at Mackay, when it came back to defeat No. 3 Boise State in overtime. 

Nevada also trailed against Weber State 10-9 at the half, before limiting the Wildcats to three second-half points in a 19-13 Wolf Pack win.

LOCK-DOWN BROWN
Nevada cornerback Daniel Brown has cemented himself as one of the top defensive backs in the conference, as he is currently tied for the Division I lead with three interceptions this season and is tied for first averaging one interception per game. Brown has recorded all of Nevada's picks this season, which ranks them 25 in the nation with three interceptions. Two of his interceptions came in the season-opener against Purdue, the second with under a minute remaining in regulation that set up the game-winning field goal for the Pack.

Brown has already recorded 11 tackles on the season, including one for a loss that went for four yards.

DEGREES COMPLETED
A total of 10 Nevada football student-athletes have already obtained a college degree prior to the start of the 2019 season, with one player earning two degrees. That number ranks in the top 20 in the nation. SMU leads the way with 22 players having already earned a bachelor's degree.

Graduate    Bachelor's Degree    Master's Program
Nate Brown    Management    Higher Education
John Humphrey    Liberal Studies (ASU)    Liberal Studies
Kelton Moore    Management & Marketing    Higher Education
EJ Muhammad    Marketing    Management
Jake Nelson    Criminal Justice    Justice Management
Brendan O'Leary-Orange    General Studies    Human Development & Family Studies
Spencer Pettit    Information Systems    Business Administration
Gabriel Sewell    Kinesiology    Higher Education
Cristian Solano    Journalism    Higher Education
Lucas Weber    Public Health    Secondary Education

Additionally, as part of a new Mountain West initiative this season, all student-athletes who have earned a degree will sport a new patch on their jersey with the MW logo and the word 'graduate' below. 

BROTHERLY LOVE
After earning a new role in the offseason to coach the Pack's running backs this year, assistant coach Vai Taua is now the only coach in the FBS to be coaching his brother, sophomore back Toa Taua. The Taua's are becoming a household name with Wolf Pack fans as Toa became Nevada's first 'of the year' award winner since joining the Mountain West, notching the conference's freshman of the year honor. Vai on the other hand has his name scattered throughout the Nevada record book, ranking second all-time in rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns.

SCHOOLBOY Q
Nevada senior punter Quinton Conaway has really made a name for himself as he enters his final season with the Wolf Pack. Conaway recorded a career year in 2018 and has begun scattering his name throughout the Nevada record book. Additionally, Conaway has posted strong academics during his time at Nevada as he was selected to the Google Cloud Academic All-District team last season.

Conaway is currently 17th in the nation, averaging 45.2 yards per punt. He is also firmly cemented in the Nevada record books, while continuing to work his way up. Following Nevada's win over Weber State, Conaway moved up to sixth all time in career punting yards with the Wolf Pack.

CAREER PUNTING YARDS LEADERS (ALL-TIME)
Rk     Player    Years    Punt Yards
5    Tom Kolesar    1973-74    6,032
6    Quinton Conaway    2017-    5,388
7    Brad Langley    2008-10    5,278
8    Justin Bergendahl    2004-05    4,691
9    Chase Tenpenny    2012-13    4,618
10    Jason McLean    1995-97    4,483

CAREER PUNT AVERAGE LEADERS (ALL-TIME)
Rk     Player    Years    Punt Avg.
1.    Chase Tenpenny    2012-13    44.0
2    Armando Avina    1993-94    43.8
3    Alex Boy    2014-16    43.3
4    Tom Kolesar    1973-74    43.1
5    Brad Langley    2008-10    42.6
6    Quinton Conaway    2017-    42.1

TAUA OF POWER
The reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Year has picked up right where he left off. On the year, Toa Taua leads Nevada with 154 yards on 34 rushing attempts with one touchdown. On the Wolf Pack's final drive against Weber State that iced the game, Taua eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for his career after totaling a season-high 85 against the Wildcats. 

Taua led Nevada with eight receptions for 64 yards out of the back field as well as rushing with 56 yards on the ground in its season-opening victory against Purdue.

SCHOLARSHIP ALERT
There were not as many scholarships to award as there typically has been in the past, but one member of the Wolf Pack did hear his name called during fall camp. Junior offensive lineman Nathan Edwards, a local product out of Galena High School, was offered a scholarship midway through camp. Edwards is projected to become more of a force with The Union and get the start at center in week one against Purdue. True freshman placekicker Brandon Talton was also awarded a scholarship recently, as Coach Norvell put him on scholarship after his game-winning 56-yard field goal against Purdue in week one.

NARBONNE HIGH SCHOOL
Three members of the Wolf Pack hail from Narbonne High School, including Dom Peterson, Daniel Brown and Lawson Hall.

(DOM)INANT
Dom Peterson has proven to be one of the Pack's most productive defensive linemen to open 2019, as he is the team leader with two sacks this season and is tied for a team-best four tackles for loss on the season.

SURGING SEWELL
Gabriel Sewell has anchored the Nevada defense in his senior season, as he is tied for second on the team with 16 tackles and nine solo tackles. He is tied for the team high with four tackles for loss after recording a career-high 3.5 against Weber State.

COOKIE MONSTER
Elijah Cooks has been one of Nevada's most productive receivers this season through three games, leading the Wolf Pack with two touchdowns and is second on the team with 14 receptions and 140 yards.

Cooks played a huge role in Nevada's season-opening victory, hauling in a career-high seven receptions for 60 yards and tying his single-game best with two touchdowns. The first was a leaping acrobatic catch midway through the third quarter for Nevada's second score of the game, while the biggest of his career came with 52 seconds left in regulation to tie the game against the Boilermakers.