Game #8 - Nevada Wolf Pack (6-1, 6-1 MW) vs. San Jose State Spartans (5-0, 5-0 MW)
Date: Friday, Dec. 11
Kickoff: 7 p.m. PT
Stadium: Sam Boyd Stadium
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: Wolf Pack Radio Network (Flagship: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM/630 AM); TuneIn app
Series: Nevada leads 22-9-2
Last Meeting: Oct. 12, 2019; W, 41-38

RENO, Nev. – The Nevada football team will conclude the 2020 regular season with a neutral site contest against San Jose State this Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
 
Nevada has its sights set on making its first Mountain West Championship game appearance next week, but has some work to do this week before turning those dreams into reality. The Wolf Pack must beat the Spartans on Friday night, and get some help from Boise State in beating Wyoming in order for Nevada to earn a berth into the championship game. Nevada has not qualified for a Mountain West Championship game since joining the league in 2012.
 
Las Vegas is starting to feel a little like a second home for the Wolf Pack with Nevada scheduled to play its third game of the 2020 season in Sin City this Friday against SJSU. The Wolf Pack is 2-0 so far in Las Vegas this season after defeating UNLV 37-19 on Oct. 31 and New Mexico, in a neutral site matchup, 27-20, on Nov. 14. The city of Las Vegas has been very kind to the Nevada offense, and junior WR Romeo Doubs in particular. In the two games in Las Vegas, Doubs is averaging 32.6 yards per reception with 12 catches for 391 yards and four touchdowns. In the UNLV game, Doubs went off for a career-high 219 yards on just seven receptions. Against New Mexico, Doubs tied his career-high of three touchdown receptions.
 
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 CBS Sports Network on Friday. Dave Ryan (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst) will have the call on the television broadcast.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 33rd meeting between the Wolf Pack and Spartans. Nevada leads the series 22-9-2. The first game between both programs occurred on Oct. 31, 1931, resulting in a 18-0 Nevada victory. The Pack has won 13 of the last 15 games, including a seven-game win streak  against the Spartans from 2008-15. San Jose State snapped Nevada's seven-game win streak on Oct. 15, 2016, defeating the Wolf Pack 14-10 in San Jose. Nevada defeated San Jose State on a game-winning field goal by Brandon Talton in 2019.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP ASPIRATIONS
Nevada has its sights set on making its first Mountain West Championship game appearance next week, but has some work to do this week before turning those dreams into reality. The Wolf Pack must beat the Spartans on Friday night, and get some help from Boise State in beating Wyoming in order for Nevada to earn a berth into the championship game. Nevada has not qualified for a Mountain West Championship game since joining the league in 2012.
 
STRONG NAMED MW OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore QB Carson Strong has been named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Strong helped Nevada defeat Fresno State 37-26 on Saturday, completing 23-of-39 pass attempts for 354 yards and five touchdowns. Saturday's win marks Strong's fifth 300-yard passing performance in seven games. The last Nevada quarterback to record five passing touchdowns was Colin Kaepernick against Idaho on Nov. 6, 2010.
Strong became the ninth Wolf Pack quarterback in history to throw five touchdowns in a single game. On Strong's fourth touchdown of the game, he found true freshman Tory Horton for 85 yards, registering the longest pass play in Strong's career and the longest in the Mountain West this season.
 
VIVA LAS VEGAS?
Not usually a phrase muttered by Wolf Pack programs, but Las Vegas is starting to feel a little like a second home with Nevada scheduled to play its third game of the 2020 season in Sin City this Friday against SJSU. The Wolf Pack is 2-0 so far in Las Vegas this season after defeating UNLV 37-19 on Oct. 31 and New Mexico, in a neutral site matchup, 27-20, on Nov. 14. The city of Las Vegas has been very kind to the Nevada offense, and junior WR Romeo Doubs in particular. In the two games in Las Vegas, Doubs is averaging 32.6 yards per reception with 12 catches for 391 yards and four touchdowns. In the UNLV game, Doubs went off for a career-high 219 yards on just seven receptions. Against New Mexico, Doubs tied his career-high of three touchdown receptions.
 
HORTON SHINES AGAINST HOMETOWN TEAM
Freshman Tory Horton posted a stellar performance against Fresno State on Saturday. The Fresno, Calif. native pulled in five receptions for 148 yards and had three touchdown catches, all season high numbers. He is the second Wolf Pack player to post three touchdowns in a single game this season, the other being Romeo Doubs, and the third player to record over 100 receiving yards in a single game, joining Doubs and Cole Turner. For Horton's second touchdown grab in the game, he connected with Carson Strong for an 85-yard pass play, the longest pass play in the Mountain West this season and 11th longest in the nation. Horton now has touchdown receptions in back-to-back games after hauling in one at Hawai'i in addition to his three against Fresno State.
 
TALTON SELECTED AS SEMIFINALIST FOR LOU GROZA AWARD
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission released the 20 semifinalists for the 2020 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl on Monday with Nevada sophomore Brandon Talton earning a spot on the list.
 
Given the unique nature of this college football season, the committee considered all FBS kickers who had played in at least six games and attempted at least 10 field goals through the games of Week 14. Talton is one of 20 semifinalists from around the nation and is the only one from the Mountain West.
 
Talton has been near perfect this season making 13-of-14 field goal attempts with his only miss coming from 51 yards. He connected on his season-long make of 49 yards on Saturday in a win over Fresno State. Talton's field goal percentage of 92.9 and his field goals per game average of 1.86 both rank second in the Mountain West and are seventh nationally. Earlier this season Talton tied his single-game career-high with four made field goals in the win over San Diego State. Additionally near the midway point of the season, Talton led the nation with 18 consecutive field goals made until his miss against SDSU from 51 yards out.
 
Though just a sophomore and having played in 20 games in his career, Talton has already begun to make a splash in the Nevada record book. The Vacaville, Calif. native ranks seventh in career field goals made with 34 and is 10th in career kick scoring with 153 points.
 
DOUBS DUBS 2K
Junior WR Romeo Doubs became just the 16th player in Wolf Pack football history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards, doing so against Fresno State on Saturday. Doubs now has 2,096 yards and ranks 14th in program history.
 
PACK ATTACK
Fueled by the strong play of quarterback Carson Strong and wideout Romeo Doubs, among others, Nevada's offense has been white-hot start in 2020. Past the halfway point of the regular season Nevada has improved its ranking in the Mountain West in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense.
 
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 is fourth in the nation in net punting at 43.88 yards per punt. Diaz booted a 76-yarder in the opener against Wyoming, which is tied for the fourth-longest punt in the nation this year.
 
TOA 2K
Running back Toa Taua surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards against Hawai'i on Nov. 28. Taua recorded a season-high 131 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards and one touchdown against the Rainbow Warriors. His total career rushing yards now sits at 2,156. The game against Hawai'i marked Taua's second 100-yard rushing performance of the season. His last 100-yard rushing game was against Utah State (107). In addition, Taua ranks third in the Mountain West in rushing yards per carry (5.75), fourth in rushing yards (477) and fifth in rushing yards per game (79.5).
 
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 seven games of the 2020 season, helping the Wolf Pack to a 6-1 record. Strong currently leads the Mountain West, and ranks highly nationally as well, in passing TDs (21), points responsible per game (18), passing yards (2,327), completions per game (27.7) and completion percentage (69.5). 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 tossed a career-high five touchdown passes against Fresno State, becoming the ninth player in Nevada history, and first since Colin Kaepernick in 2010, to do so.
 
NEW KICK RETURNER IN TOWN
True freshman WR Jamaal Bell seems to have found himself a permanent spot as the Wolf Pack's primary kick returner after solid performances against Wyoming and UNLV. Bell, who made his collegiate debut against Wyoming on Oct. 24, returned six kicks for 116 yards, with a long return of 25 yards. Bell became the first Wolf Pack player to record over 100 return yards in a single game since 2017 when Dameon Baber totaled 139 interception return yards. It was the most return yards by a Nevada kick returner since Sept. 16, 2017 when senior Berdale Robins recorded 105 kick return yards against Idaho State. Bell nearly broke the back-to-back 100 return yards after an 85-yard performance on three kick returns against the Rebels. Against UNLV, Bell returned a kickoff 50 yards in the first quarter, the longest kickoff return by a Nevada player since Daiyan Henley's 47-yard return vs. Air Force on Oct. 20, 2017. He is averaging 19.5 yards per kick return through seven games.
 
O ROMEO, ROMEO, WHEREFORE ART THOU
Junior WR Romeo Doubs has proven to be one of the top wide receivers in the nation as the regular season draws to a close. Doubs has been on a tear through seven games, posting 100 receiving yards or more in all but two contests. His streak of five consecutive 100-yard games was snapped at Hawai'i, but tied for fourth best in Mountain West history. Additionally, Doubs has recorded at least one touchdown reception in all but two 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, Doubs leads the conference averaging 126.4 receiving yards per game. He has totaled 885 yards on just 44 receptions, both of which rank in the top 15 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, eighth-best 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.
 
DOM-INATING THE DEFENSIVE STATS
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 seven games isn't disappointing. Against Hawai'i, Peterson moved into the Nevada record book, tying for 10th most career sacks (16.5). Peterson has made 27 total tackles this season, which is third on the Nevada defense, but he leads the team with 7.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. 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 career tackles for loss.
 
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 2020 season. In  his  last  12 games,  Strong  has  a  29-to-5 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.
 
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 seven games in 2020, Talton is 13-for-14 after going 4-for-5 on against SDSU. Talton's performance against SDSU pushed him to 10th in career kick scoring and tied for seventh in career field goals made at Nevada. Talton did not attempt any field goals against Hawai'i, but he was a perfect 3-for-3 on PATs. Talton ranks second in the Mountain West  and seventh nationally in field goal percentage (92.9) and field gaols per game (1.86).