Vandals face an improving Nevada team
RENO, Nev. – Handicap this football game on the night of Sept. 10 and the University of Idaho is probably a solid favorite. At that point on the calendar, Idaho had pushed Washington State and UNLV before falling short. Nevada was dismantled by Washington State 55-21 in its season opener.
Since then, however, the Wolf Pack have rebounded with wins over UNLV and San Jose State while the Vandals emerged from a two-game slide with a much-needed victory over Utah State last Saturday.
Idaho’s win didn’t convince the oddsmakers, but it breathed new confidence into a team that tries to take another step on the rebuilding road against Nevada today at 1 p.m. at Mackay Stadium.
The Vandals (1-4, 1-1 WAC) have won back-to-back games only once since the 2000 season. Those wins were over Louisiana-Monroe and Utah State in 2003 in the last two games of Tom Cable’s coaching tenure.
“We’re getting better every day and when we start playing to the level we’re capable of we’re going to start winning a lot of games,” sophomore linebacker Josh Bousman said.
Nevada (2-2, 1-0 WAC) is favored by nine points and has visions of a 3-0 WAC start. Following Idaho, the Wolf Pack entertain Louisiana Tech with hopes of setting up a showdown at Boise State on Oct. 29.
“We’re getting there,” Nevada coach Chris Ault said. “We’re so doggone young with 60 percent freshmen and sophomores, we’re in and out, but each week we see some things that are encouraging.”
Ault has implemented an offense dubbed the “pistol.” It’s a hybrid of the offense popularized by Florida coach Urban Meyer when he was at Utah. Idaho has seen variations of it from UNLV and Utah State with a mobile quarterback operating in the shotgun formation.
Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe is 6-foot-5, but he’s rushed for 99 yards in four games. Rowe also has a 62.4 completion percentage and a 138.1 passer rating with six touchdowns and three interceptions in 133 attempts.
B.J. Mitchell had a career-high 114 rushing yards against San Jose State last week. Receivers Nichiren Flowers, who has at least one catch in 31 straight games, and Caleb Spencer have combined for 44 catches.
The pistol has “opened up our running game and we’re doing more with our formations and alignments,” Ault said. “I do think we’re (explosive). We’ve got some good skill.”
Ault also changed the defense to a 3-4 scheme, but the results have been mixed. WSU could have named the final score against the Wolf Pack and Colorado State rushed for 257 yards. San Jose State had a 17-point second quarter, but mustered little else. UNLV’s Shane Steichen was just 7 of 25 for 58 yards and the Rebels had two touchdowns nullified by penalties on the same drive.
“It just matches our personnel better,” Ault said.
The Vandals have been fairly solid on defense the last 21/2 games and the running game perked up last week. Rolly Lumbala rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown and added a TD catch against Utah State.
“He’s coming around,” head coach Nick Holt said.
Idaho is still without several key players on offense because of injury but receiver Daniel Smith returns after missing the Utah State game. Quarterback Steve Wichman, 20 of 25 last week, bumped his passer rating to 133.9.
Notes
Ault remembers Holt as a “tough, good linebacker,” but he couldn’t recall where Holt played. Ault would have been in the first of his three stints as Nevada’s coach when Holt was a Pacific Tiger in the mid-1980s. … Idaho assistant head coach Jeff Mills lost his job as Nevada’s defensive coordinator when Ault fired Chris Tormey two years ago. Wolf Pack running backs coach Jim Maestro and receivers coach Kim McCloud are holdovers from Tormey’s staffs at Idaho and Nevada. … Idaho true freshman offensive tackle Billy Bates, who has filled in admirably the last three games, didn’t make the trip because of a bruised shin. … Mackay Stadium (31,900) is expected to be about half full for Nevada’s homecoming.