Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Nevada Wolf Pack season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Nevada Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 8-5 overall, 5-3 in Mountain West
Head Coach: Jay Norvell, 3rd year, 11-14
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEVADA OFFENSE
– It wasn’t exactly the type of Air Raid passing attack that was expected, but the offense was able to move the ball through the air – averaging 279 yards per game – and it came up with enough power and toughness on the ground to balance things out. The consistency might not have been there and the scoring pop wasn’t what it should’ve been, failing to hit the 30-point mark eight times.
– Who’s at quarterback? Ty Gangi wasn’t Drew Brees, but he threw for way over 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns as an experienced leader for the attack. He’s gone, and now it’s a battle for the gig going into fall camp.
Backup Cristian Solano has the early edge with good mobility as well as time in the system, but former Florida Gator Malik Henry is in the hunt, as is 6-4, 220-pound redshirt freshman Carson Strong.
– The Wolf Pack might lose leading yardage receiver McLane Mannix to Texas Tech, but this is still a deep corps with the next seven top receivers returning. It’s a versatile group that can get deep and knows what it’s doing – it’ll help out the new quarterback with yards after the catch.
– The rushing trio of Toa Taua, Kelton Moore and Devonte Lee are just the start of the deep group of running backs that should get past the 2,000-yard mark – the ground game went for 1,976 last season with 24 touchdowns – with enough work.
The O line that was so strong in pass protection won’t be a massive concern, but the entire starting interior is done. The tackles, though, are all-star caliber – Nate Brown and Jake Nelson are rocks.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEVADA DEFENSE
– What did you do with the Nevada defense that was such a doormat for so long? The Wolf Pack D that got ripped apart for 3,571 rushing yards in 2016 improved a bit in the first season under Jay Norvell and the new coaching staff, and last year allowed just 142 yards per game.
Overall, there were a few dud performances, but the Pack gave up 25 points or fewer eight times on the year. In 2017, the defense allowed 25 or fewer in just three games. Just five starters are back, but this defense knows how to produce.
– Four of the top five tacklers are done, but leading tackler Gabriel Sewell was one of the stars of the front six from his middle linebacker spot, but now he’ll work on the outside and veteran Lucas Weber will work mostly from the interior. These two should combine for close to 150 tackles. The linebacking corps will be fine and should be relatively deep, and …
– The D line will be a strength early on. Not having Korey Rush around anymore isn’t a plus, but there’s beef up front with 315-pound Dom Peterson at one spot and 275-pound Hausia Sekona next to him. As long as they’re holding firm against the run, they’ll be doing their jobs.
– The secondary will be a work in progress. Losing 53-tackle Nephi Sewell to Utah takes away one good safety, and not having CB Jomon Dotson and S Dameon Baber takes away two good pieces.
Daniel Brown is a good-tackling corner, and sophomore Tyson Williams can play at a number of spots, but this will be the defense’s biggest area of concern in fall camp.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP NEVADA PLAYERS
Best Nevada Offensive Player
RB Toa Taua, Soph.
A tough, compact 5-8, 220-pound pinball, he led the team with 872 yards and six touchdowns, averaging close to five yards per carry, and was a key part of the passing game, too, catching 22 passes for 202 yards and a score.
He’s got the toughness to be a workhorse, enough flash to hit the home run, and the ability to work between the tackles. He’s a terrific fit for what the offense wants to do.
2. OT Jake Nelson, Sr.
3. WR Kaleb Fossum, Sr.
4. WR Elijah Cooks, Jr.
5. QB Cristian Solano, Sr.
Best Nevada Defensive Player
LB Gabriel Sewell, Sr.
A huge 6-0, 250-pound thumper in the middle of the defense, he led the team with 91 tackles with three sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Now he’ll move to the outside, and after bulking up, he’ll be like a hybrid pass rusher.
Steady throughout his career, he followed up a 78 tackle freshman season with 59 stops in a rough year for the defense, and last year he grew into a veteran star who was always around the ball.
2. CB Daniel Brown, Sr.
3. P Quinton Conaway, Sr.
4. DT Dom Peterson, Soph.
5. DT Hausia Sekona, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Nevada Offense
Start to work better. The buzz when the current coaching staff took over two years ago was over the Air Raid style that was expected to wing the ball all over the yard. Instead, there’s some power running, a decent passing game, but there aren’t any of the pyrotechnics and crazy numbers expected. That’s fine – and it’s actually came up with one of its best seasons since 2012 – but now the O has to start doing a whole lot more.
It’s been okay, but it was dead last in the Mountain West third down conversions, there were 17 interceptions, 28 turnovers in all, and not enough of a ground game.
The Wolf Pack can win with a good offense and a great defense, but it can’t win the West division without more firepower.
Biggest Key To The Nevada Defense
Figure out the safety situation in a hurry. The defense might not be the best in the Mountain West, but it’ll be up there as long as the secondary is a rock. That means the Pack has to come up with new parts to what was a great safety mix.
It’s going to be an all-hands-on-deck thing for a while in fall camp until the secondary can determine the right five starters to work with. Asauni Rufus and Dameon Baber were among the team’s top five tacklers, and Nephi Sewell was seventh. They’re all gone, but Tyson Williams is a promising prospect to start with.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Cristian Solano, Sr.
Or Malik Henry, or Carson Strong, or Austin Kirksey. The quarterback situation has to settle itself as soon as possible in fall camp with one of the options rising up and taking it over.
The 6-1, 190-pound Solano was the main backup behind Ty Gangi, but he only completed 23-of-45 passes for 200 yards with no touchdowns and four picks. He can run, and he knows the offense, but for an attack that needs to be better, the position has to be stronger.
Key Game To The Nevada Season
at San Diego State, Nov. 9
The Wolf Pack got the Aztecs last season with a 28-24 win, but that was the first time in four tries. This time around, the road game comes at the end of a brutal stretch – more on that in a moment – and right before getting a needed week off in mid-November. Lose, and the road game at Fresno State to follow becomes everything.
– Nevada Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Nevada Fun Stats
– Sacks: Nevada 35 for 217 yards – Opponents 16 for 104 yards
– Nevada 2nd Quarter Scoring: 139 – 4th Quarter Scoring: 61
– Red Zone Scores: Nevada 40-of-47 (85%) – Opponents 33-of-48 (69%)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. NEVADA WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
The offense improved, the defense was terrific, and the team came up with a surprisingly strong eight-win season with a bowl victory.
But there were a whole lot of wins over a whole lot of mediocre teams.
That’s part of the deal – you have to beat who’s on the slate – but the schedule is a whole lot tougher, and the team is a bit worse.
The quarterback play is a question mark, the O line needs three new parts, and a bulk of the key starters are done on the defensive side.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
The Wolf Pack were able to beat Oregon State last season, but this time around they have to go to Oregon and host Purdue.
They were able to survive early losses last year, and they started out 3-4 after dealing with the Mountain West big boys Fresno State and Boise State, but time around they have to go to Utah State. And Wyoming. At San Diego State. And Fresno State.
Assume five losses out of those four conference road dates and the two big non-conference games, and don’t blow off home games against Hawaii and against improved New Mexico and UNLV squads.
The Pack will go to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2014-2015, but it’ll take whole lot of work to get there.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
