Nevada (1-3) vs. Eastern Washington (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 - 12 p.m.
Mackay Stadium - Reno, Nev.

RENO, Nev. - Nevada plays its final game of September this Saturday, hosting Eastern Washington for a 12 p.m. matinee. Saturday's contest against the Eagles is set for a 12 p.m. kick and will be broadcast on Nevada Sports Net, and streamed on the Mountain West Network and the MW App, with Alex Margulies (play-by-play) and Shannon Kelly (sideline reporter) on the call.

The Wolf Pack Radio Network will call the game on KOZZ 105.7 FM in Northern Nevada, online at www.thevarsitynetwork.com and on the Varsity Network app. John Ramey (play-by-play) and Mike Edwards (analyst) will be in the booth, with the 60-minute pregame show to begin at 11 a.m.

SERIES HISTORY 
Saturday's meeting between the Wolf Pack and Eagles will be the 10th all-time, and just the second since Nevada's move to FBS in 1992. 

Nevada beat the Eagles, 49-24, in Reno in the last meeting between the teams on Sept. 2, 2010. Prior to that, the teams had met eight times in Big Sky action.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON
Eastern Washington enters Saturday's game with a 1-2 record after Saturday's 28-24 loss at Southeastern Louisiana. After an opening-week home win over Monmouth, the Eagles fell at home, 35-32 in overtime, to Drake before this past Saturday's trip to Louisiana.

Aaron Best is at the Eagle helm for his eighth season, with a 49-34 record over that span. Best and Jeff Choate have faced off twice before, when Choate was Montana State head coach--Eastern Washington claimed victory in both meetings (2017-18).

ONE MORE TEST BEFORE MOUNTAIN WEST OPENER
Saturday's game against Eastern Washington is not only Nevada's final game before its first bye of the season (Sept. 28), but also before its Oct. 5 Mountain West opener at San José State.

Even then, the Pack will play one final non-conference game Oct. 12, against Oregon State, before turning full-time to its Mountain West slate.

THE DEFENSE SHOWS METTLE AT MINNESOTA
Nevada's defense showed its mettle Saturday at Minnesota despite the final outcome. The Wolf Pack bolstered its reputation for digging in and getting key stops, nullifying one Golden Gopher red-zone trip with Keyshawn Cobb's interception in the end zone, then stuffing three plays from the five-yard line to hold Minnesota to a field goal on a first-quarter drive.

Outside of one hiccup (Darius Taylor's third-quarter 80-yard touchdown run), the Wolf Pack had held steady against the run--Taylor's long scamper accounting for 80 of the Golden Gophers' 195 yards on the ground in the contest.

RED-ZONE TOUGHNESS FROM THE DEFENSE
Another way in which the Wolf Pack defense has been able to keep games close and set the table for the offense is through its stinginess in the red zone.

Saturday at Minnesota, Keyshawn Cobb's interception in the end zone stopped one Golden Gopher red-zone trip cold, and, earlier in the contest, the Pack, facing a 1st-and-Goal from the five, held Minnesota to just two yards on three plays, forcing a chip-shot field goal.

Through four games this season, opponents have reached the Nevada red zone 14 times, but only six of those trips have resulted in a touchdown.

CONFIDENCE FROM THE SECONDARY
Nevada's secondary has dialed up its aggressiveness in 2024, picking off two passes and already breaking up 20 pass attempts over the season's first four games.

Leading the way for this group is cornerback Michael Coats Jr., who has made a career-high six pass breakups already in 2024. At the other corner, Chad Brown has broken up two passes, made one interception, and ranks fourth on the team in tackles (19), while safety Kitan Crawford has disrupted three passes while ranking third on the team with 22 tackles.