Game #6 - Nevada Wolf Pack (5-0, 5-0 MW) at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (2-3, 2-3 MW)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 28
Kickoff: 8 p.m. PT
Stadium: Aloha Stadium
Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
TV: Spectrum Sports PPV/Nevada Sports Net
Radio: Wolf Pack Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM/630 AM); TuneIn app
Series: Nevada leads 14-10
Last Meeting: Sept. 28, 2019; L, 54-3

RENO, Nev. - The Nevada football team will head west to the state of Hawai'i and look for its sixth 6-0 start in program history as the Wolf Pack faces the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors this Saturday, Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. PT.

The Wolf Pack moved to 5-0 after defeating San Diego State 26-21 this past Saturday in Mackay Stadium. The Nevada defense held the Aztecs scoreless in the second half and to just 41 yards of total offense in the third and fourth quarters. SDSU, which entered the game ranked third in the nation averaging over 280 yards on the ground per game, were held to just 109 net rushing yards in the contest. On the offensive side of the ball, sophomore QB Carson Strong tossed 288 yards and two touchdowns and junior WR Romeo Doubs posted yet another 100-yard game, recording 133 receiving yards on just five receptions.

For their efforts against San Diego State, Dom Peterson and Julian Diaz earned Mountain West player of the week honors.

ON THE AIR
John Ramey and Mike Edwards will have the call in Northern Nevada on ESPN Radio 94.5 FM with a 60 minute pregame show prior to kickoff. Fans can also tune in to listen to Ramey and Edwards' broadcast online at TuneIn.com or via the TuneIn app.
 
Fans can watch the game on Spectrum Sports PPV in Hawai'i or on Nevada Sports Net in Northern Nevada. Robert Kekaula (play-by-play) and Rich Miano (analyst) will have the call on the television broadcast.

SERIES HISTORY 
This will be the 25th meeting between the two programs. Nevada leads the series with a 14-10 advantage over Hawai'i. The Rainbow Warriors defeated Nevada during homecoming weekend last year, 54-3. The last time the Pack made the trip to Hawai'i, Nevada walked away with a 40-22 victory over the Rainbow Warriors. Nevada's away record versus Hawai'i is 5-8. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of this series as Nevada traveled to Hawaii`i for a Christmas Day game in 1920. In doing so, the Wolf Pack became the first team from the mainland to play a college football game in Hawai`i. Nevada won the game, 14-0.

FIVE AND OH
Saturday's 26-21 win over San Diego State moved the Wolf Pack to 5-0 for the first time since its historic 2010 season. Nevada went on to finish the 2010 regular season 13-1 and ranked 13th in the country.  
This is the eighth time in school history Nevada has started the season 5-0. Nevada will look to move to 6-0 for the seventh time in school history on Saturday night against Hawai'i.

Team    Start    Final Record
1986    13-0    13-1
1991    12-0    12-1
1978    11-0    11-1
1990    9-0    13-2
2010    6-0    13-1
1948    6-0    9-2
1988    5-0    7-4
2020    5-0    ?

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE
Carson Strong is quickly becoming a household name among college football fans, and it's easy to see why. Strong has impressed through five games of the 2020 season, helping the Wolf Pack stay undefeated thus far. Strong currently leads the Mountain West, and ranks highly nationally as well, in passing TDs (14), passing yards (1,805), passing yards per game (361) and completions per game (30.2). In the game against New Mexico, Strong saw his streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception come to an end in the second quarter at 299, a school record and the second-longest streak in Mountain West history. Strong threw for 288 in the most recent contest against San Diego State, his first game under 300 yards in his last seven contests.

PETERSON, DIAZ RECEIVE WEEKLY MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS
Dom Peterson and Julian Diaz earned Mountain West Player of the Week honors after Nevada's 26-21 victory over San Diego State. Peterson was tabbed MW Defensive Player of the Week and Diaz was named special teams player of the week. 

Peterson and Diaz join Carson Strong and Brandon Talton as the third and fourth weekly conference honorees from Nevada this season. Strong earned offensive player of the week after the season-opening victory against Wyoming and Talton received the special teams honor after the Pack's victory over Utah State. 

Peterson had a huge game for the Nevada defense, totaling four tackles, three of which went for a loss and registered two sacks. All of Peterson's tackles came in a dominant second half for the Wolf Pack defense, which held the Aztecs scoreless and allowed them to pick up just 41 yards of total offense in the third and fourth quarters. Additionally Nevada held San Diego State, a team which entered the game ranked third in the nation averaging 280.3 rushing yards per game, to just 109 net rushing yards. Peterson came up big on third downs in the second half as he recorded all three of his tackles for loss, including the two sacks, on third down, forcing the Aztecs to punt. Peterson leads the Nevada defense through five games this season with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
 
Diaz played a pivotal role in the Nevada special teams performance on Saturday. He punted five times in the game with all five of his punts 50 yards or longer, including a game-long 63-yard punt that pinned SDSU at its own 2-yard line with Nevada ahead by five in the fourth quarter. Diaz averaged 55.2 yards per punt and booted four of his five punts inside the 20-yard line. On the season Diaz is averaging 52.6 yards per punt, which is tops in the conference.

DE-FENSE
The Wolf Pack defense was lights out in the second half against San Diego State on Saturday. Here is a breakdown of all the Nevada defense was able to accomplish in that second half:

-Held San Diego State scoreless
-No first downs in the third quarter, three in the fourth
-Held SDSU to just 41 yards of total offense on 32 plays
-For the game, kept the Aztecs to just 109 net rushing yards (entered the game averaging 280.3)

That defensive performance bumped Nevada up to second in the conference, and into the top 15 nationally, in total defense surrendering 312.8 yards per game.

O ROMEO, ROMEO, WHEREFORE ART THOU
Junior WR Romeo Doubs is proving to be one of the top wide receivers in the nation just past the halfway point of the regular season. Doubs has been on a tear through the first five games, posting 100 receiving yards or more in all five contests. His streak of five consecutive 100-yard games is tied for fourth best in Mountain West history. Additionally, Doubs has recorded at least one touchdown reception in all five games as well, and has had two three-TD performances. He was recently added to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.

On the year, which spans just five games, Doubs leads the nation averaging 155.6 receiving yards per game. He has totaled 778 yards on just 36 receptions, both of which rank in the top 10 nationally. Doubs' numbers compare with receivers who have played more games, and in some cases, twice as many games. He has made nine touchdown receptions this season, sixth-most in the FBS, and is always a deep threat as seven of his nine touchdown grabs have been 30 yards or longer, with a season-long of 65 yards. The Los Angeles native even threw in a 200-yard performance against UNLV, going for a career-high 219 receiving yards. Through five weeks of the season, Doubs has scored more touchdowns (nine) than Utah State (six) and as many as two other Mountain West teams, New Mexico and UNLV. He has also scored more touchdowns than all other Pack receivers combined.

DOM-INATING
Junior DT Dom Peterson entered the 2020 season as one of the top defensive linemen in the Mountain West, and in the nation, and through five games is isn't disappointing. Peterson has made 24 total tackles this season, which is third on the Nevada defense, but he leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He is seventh in the nation among active FBS players in tackles for loss per game at 1.07 per game. Against SDSU, he recorded 3.0 TFL for 16 yards and two sacks. He's making a push for the Nevada record book too in his third season, sitting just outside the top 10 in a couple of defensive categories. Peterson will look to crack the top 10 against Hawai'i this weekend in career tackles for loss and career sacks at Nevada. 

SPECIALISTS SHINING
In addition to the strong performances by kick returner Jamaal Bell and placekicker Brandon Talton, Nevada has excelled in the punt game thus far into the season. Whether it is senior Julian Diaz or freshman Matthew Killam punting, the Pack leads the Mountain West and the nation in net punting at 46.61 yards per punt. Nevada is currently on pace to set the NCAA record for single season punting average. Diaz booted a 76 yarder in the opener against Wyoming, which is tied for the fourth-longest punt in the nation this year. In his three games played, Diaz has punted 11 times and eight of those have gone for 50 yards or more. He currently leads the Mountain West averaging 52.6 yards per punt.

STRONG STRETCH
Carson Strong opened his collegiate career by directing a stunning come-from-behind win over Purdue in the season opener of 2019. He battled an injury over the next few weeks and missed some time. But by the Pack's stretch run in November last year, Strong was fully healthy and that began a stretch of dominating play to close the 2019 season, a stretch that has continued into the start of 2020. In  his  last  10 games,  Strong  has  a  22-to-3 touchdown-to-interception  ratio  and  he  has  completed nearly 70  percent  of  his  pass  attempts. 

Strong had also put up six consecutive 300-yard passing  games, before seeing his streak snapped against San Diego State, establishing a new Mountain West record. According to research from Nevada Sports Net's Chris Murray, Carson Strong was the fifth Wolf Pack quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in six straight games.

MILESTONES AHEAD
Romeo Doubs is nearing 2,000 receiving yards in his career and with 11 yards on Saturday, he will become the 16th player in Wolf Pack history to reach that milestone. Additionally, running back Toa Taua is also approaching a 2,000-yard milestone. With 14 yards against Hawai'i Taua will eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in his career.

LAWSON HALL SELECTED AS SEMIFINALIST FOR JASON WITTEN AWARD
Senior LB Lawson Hall was selected as one of 20 semifinalists from around the country for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award. Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field. Hall was the lone selection from around the Mountain West. The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund.

Hall, who was named a team captain prior to the start of the season, has been very active with community service. He has served as a mentor for young athletes in Los Angeles, providing them with knowledge, resources and advice on how to become a better student-athlete. He has also worked with kids in Reno, spending time at the Boys & Girls Club and local grade schools to read and interact with them, and to provide them with a positive figure to look up to. Hall has helped package meals for families in need in both Los Angeles and in Boise, Idaho prior to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl early in 2020. Additionally, Hall has been an active part of the Black Lives Matter movement, helping to organize a team unity video on the subject in June, which led to him being invited to join a conference call with U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. On the call, Hall discussed racial injustice and provided recommendations to Senator Cortez Masto on what the federal government can do to implement systematic change.

GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO TALTON 'BOUT
Sophomore PK Brandon Talton became a household name with Wolf Pack fans after his first collegiate game in 2019 ended with a 56-yard, game-winning, walk-off field goal to beat Purdue. After that magical kick, Talton proved it wasn't just a fluke. He began his collegiate career by making his first 13 field goal attempts. He finished his true freshman season by garnering All-Mountain West second team honors and making 21-of-25 field goal attempts. His field goal percentage of 84 percent ranked fourth in the conference and was 26th nationally. He's already begun to make a splash in the Nevada record book as a sophomore. Through five games in 2020, Talton is 12-for-13 after going 4-for-5 on Saturday against SDSU. Saturday's performance against SDSU pushed Talton to 10th in career kick scoring and tied for seventh in career field goals made at Nevada.

UP NEXT
Nevada will host Fresno State for its final regular season home contest in 2020 on Saturday, Dec. 5 with a kickoff time still to be determined.