Week #5 - Nevada Wolf Pack (3-1, 0-0 MW) vs. Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (3-1, 0-0 MW)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
Stadium: Mackay Stadium
Location: Reno, Nev.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Wolf Pack Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM/630 AM); TuneIn app
Series: Nevada leads 14-9
Last Meeting: Oct. 20, 2018; W, 40-22

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 off offense in each of those contests. 

HOT START
Finishing 3-1 in conference play, Nevada is off to its best start since the 2014 season when it also began with the same record. Saturday's win at UTEP was also Coach Jay Norvell's first nonconference road win as the head coach of the Wolf Pack.

LAST TIME OUT
Coming off a 37-21 victory at UTEP, Nevada has finished its nonconference slate with a 3-1 record. Cristian Solano earned the start at quarterback for the Wolf Pack on Saturday, the second of his career, and led the Pack with 182 passing yards and two touchdowns to Elijah Cooks. Solano also tallied a big day on the ground, rushing for 100 yards on 10 carries with a long of 47. The defense stood tall against the Miners on the evening, as they recorded three interceptions, all firsts of the season from Lawson Hall, Tyson Williams and Jordan Lee.

BATTLE ON THE MAINLAND
Nevada kicks off Mountain West play this Saturday when it welcomes Hawai'i to Mackay Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors come to Reno also boasting a 3-1 record, with two of their wins against Pac-12 opponents in Arizona and Oregon State. Hawai'i comes in with the fourth-best scoring offense in the conference, putting up 32.8 points per game. Behind quarterback Cole McDonald, Hawai'i ranks second in the MW with passing 352.8 yards per game, while Cole ranks atop the conference with 354.2 yards of total offense per game. McDonald has tossed 13 touchdowns this year, but has also been picked off nine times and will face a Nevada defense that already boasts six interceptions on the season, which ranks tied for fifth in the nation.

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 683 yards rank eighth in the conference and 85th nationally.

NEVADA IN MOUNTAIN WEST OPENERS
Since joining the conference in 2012, Nevada boasts a 4-3 record in Mountain West conference openers, including winning three in a row from 2012-14. In his third season, head coach Jay Norvell holds a 1-1 record in conference openers after defeating Air Force on the road last year to open MW play.

Nevada in Mountain West openers
Date    Opponent    Location    Result
Sept. 29, 2018    Air Force    Colorado Springs, Colo.    W, 28-25
Sept. 30, 2017    Fresno State    Fresno, Calif.    L, 41-21
Oct. 1, 2016    Hawai'i    Honolulu, Hawai'i    L, 38-17
Oct. 3, 2015    UNLV    Reno, Nev.    L, 23-17
Sept. 27, 2014    San Jose State    San Jose, Calif.    W, 21-10
Sept. 21, 2013    Hawai'i    Reno, Nev.    W, 31-9
Sept. 22, 2012    Hawai'i    Honolulu, Hawai'i    W, 69-24

*Bold indicates games coached by Norvell

(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 three sacks this season and five tackles for loss.

SURGING SEWELL
In his senior season, Gabriel Sewell has anchored the Nevada defense and led the charge thus far, totaling 19 tackles and is second on the team with 4.0 tackles for loss. 3.5 of those TFLs came in a career-best effort against Weber State.

"TYSON'S PUNCH-OUT"
Tyson Williams has been a wrecking ball as a starter at safety for the Wolf Pack this season, as he leads the team with 32 tackles on the season and has one tackle for loss. He recorded his first-career interception at UTEP last Saturday and ran it back an extra 14 yards.

COOKIE MONSTER
Elijah Cooks has Nevada's most productive receiver this season through three games, leading the Wolf Pack with four touchdowns and 222 yards and is second on the team with 18 receptions. Cooks' four receiving touchdowns rank 16th in the NCAA and third in the conference.

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.

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.

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 3-1 record to open the year, including 2-0 in Mackay Stadium and its best record to open a season since 2014. 

CLUTCH GENE
In its three wins this season, Nevada has been near perfect in the final 15 minutes of those games, outscoring its opponents 33-0.

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 9-for-9 on field goals this season. His is one of two kickers in the entire NCAA to make nine or more field goals without missing one this season. His 2.25 field goals per game rank sixth in the NCAA and first in the Mountain West. His four field goals against Weber State were the most by a Nevada kicker since 2008 when Brett Jaekle. Talton currently ranks tied for first in the Mountain West and 21st in the country with 36 points scored this season.

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 4-for-4 on the season, one of 42 in the players in Division I to not miss a field goal this year. Talton was named the Mountain West Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in week one.

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.

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 Conference. Through four games in 2019, Nevada is fifth in the nation, and tops in the MW, with 10 takeaways. The Pack's four fumbles recovered so far this season is 17th in the nation and the six interceptions – three by senior cornerback Daniel Brown – is fifth nationally. Brown is third in the nation with in interceptions (3) and interceptions per game (0.8).

Going into this week's game against Hawai'i, Nevada has a streak of nine 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)
Sept. 21, 2019    at UTEP*    3 (three interceptions
* -- victory

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 197 yards on 44 rushing attempts with two touchdowns. 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, and has now totaled a nice 1,069 for his career.

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.

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. 

TEAM CAPTAINS
Last season, Coach Norvell and his program chose three captains to lead the team, one from each unit of offense, defense and special teams. This year, Coach Norvell and the Wolf Pack have selected four team captains to lead the squad into 2019. The four team captains are seniors Kelton Moore, Kaleb Fossum, Hausia Sekona and Lucas Weber.

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 third in the FBS with three interceptions this season and is tied for third averaging 0.8 interceptions per game. Brown has recorded half of Nevada's picks this season, as they are ranked fifth in the nation with six picks. 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.

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.