Nevada Wolf Pack
2012 Record: 7-6 (4-4, Mountain West)

OFFENSE

Scheme: Head coach Chris Ault has retired for the second time, but Nevada will hold onto Ault’s Pistol offense. The Pistol is similar to spread offenses, except Ault invented the offense because he wanted to combine spread elements with a north-south running game. Therefore, this is a more power-running offense than Oregon runs, but with zone read and triple option elements like the Ducks use. Coordinator Nick Rolovich is from the June Jones coaching tree so he prefers to throw more than Ault did so you may see a bit more of an aerial attack now.

Quarterbacks: If Colin Kaepernick is the perfect pistol QB, then junior Cody Fajardo isn’t far behind. He isn’t as big or fast as Kaepernick, but he is fast, smart, athletic, and a good passer. Fajardo (2,786 yards, 67%, 20 TDs, 9 interceptions, 1,121 yards rushing, 12 TDs) is excellent at the option aspects of the pistol and he has improved as a passer under Rolovich. He will be dangerous to any team he faces. Depth isn’t shabby either with junior Devin Combs (384 yds passing, 4 TDs, 198 yds rushing) getting some quality reps last year.

Running Backs: Nevada loses 1,800-yard rusher Stephon Jefferson as well as his backup Nick Hale. Neither were elite talents, but it is still hard to replace guys who combined for over 2,100 yards and 26 touchdowns. This offense has proven to be running back friendly so most fans and pundits assume JC transfer Don Jackson will be the next in line to produce big numbers. Jackson is likely not as durable as Jefferson, who carried the ball 341 times last season, but he has home-run speed and oozes potential. Junior Kendall Brock, a part RB and part WR, will get a few chances due to his big-play potential while sophomore Nate McLaurin provides more muscle and might be used as a change-of-pace guy.

Receivers/Tight Ends: Nevada is breaking in a lot of new pieces and parts on offense, but certainly not here. The Wolf Pack return a terrific trio at wideout in senior Brandon Wimberly, junior Richy Turner, and junior Aaron Bradley. Wimberly (70 receptions, 845 yards, 4 TDs) is a big, fast, explosive receiver who has tons of talent. Turner (60 recs, 752 yds, 3 TDs) made a smooth transition from the JUCO ranks and is great in the open field. Bradley (45 recs, 467 yds, 4 TDs) has nice size and is solid.

Depth is good too with junior Joseph Huber, sophomore Dominic Coulter, and incoming freshmen Kaodi Dike and Travis Wilson. Huber had his season cut short last year, but is being counted on as a possession receiver. Coulter is big, strong, and athletic and will push Bradley. Dike and Wilson have the coaching staff excited due to their size and speed. If nothing else, they may be used as return men and on fly sweeps.

Zach Sudfield graduated and is in an NFL camp so there are some big shoes to fill at tight end. Senior Kolby Arendse and classmate Stephen Jeffers will man the spot this season. Arendse (13 recs, 196 yds, TD) is big, but is a better receiver than blocker. Jeffers is just the opposite.

Offensive Line: Beyond RB, this is the big question mark of the offense with three starters who combined for 98 career starts having to be replaced. The bell cow will be junior center Matt Galas, a veteran who is quick and smart. The other returning starter, Joel Bitonio, is actually moving from RT to LT. Bitonio is a mauler who is a solid run blocker, but he will now be tasked with protecting Fajardo’s blind side and that will be worth watching.

The three new starters, at least for now, are sophomore RT Connor Talbot, redshirt freshman LG Jeremy Macauley, and sophomore RG Zach Brickell. Right now, Talbot is a better pass blocker and needs to get more consistent. Macauley was an unheralded recruit, but the coaches like his strength and leverage and think he could be a four year starter. Brickell has good feet and could move outside, especially since sophomore Abel De Haro, currently the backup center, can play any of the interior positions.

DEFENSE

Scheme: The Wolf Pack run a pretty standard 4-3 defense, although they don’t blitz a lot and lack size up the middle. Nevada was awful on defense last year, allowing 442 yards and 34 points per game. While pretty good at generating a pass rush, the Wolf Pack was terrible against the run and there is concern again this year with the top four linebackers having moved on.

Defensive Line: This unit was worth a few head scratches. The four starters, who all return, combined for over 20 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, but Nevada was one of the worst teams in the country at forcing negative running plays. They generated a pass rush, but couldn’t stop the run. The concern is the same will hold true this year with almost all the same guys back.

At end, junior Brock Hekking and sophomore Lenny Jones are back to start. Hekking (75 tackles, 10 for loss, 8 sacks) was the best player in perhaps the entire front seven. At 6-4, 255, Hekking is fast, but also solid against the run. The same cannot be said for Jones (37 tackles, 5 sacks), who seems to be a bit of a one-trick pony as a speed rusher. Due to that, junior Jake Peppard will be given every chance to push Jones, although he only made 4 tackles last season.

Nevada returns numbers and experience at defensive tackle, but nearly the entire unit lack bulk. The starters will be senior Jack Reynoso and junior Jordan Hanson. Reynoso (44 tackles, 2 for loss) is a former offensive lineman who needs to make more plays, plain and simple. Hanson (40 tackles, 2 for loss) plays a true nose tackle spot, but doesn’t have the size at 6-2, 280. That being said, he does bring quickness and good movement. Sophomore Rykeem Yates (16 tackles, 1 sack) is the top tackle off the bench and is probably the best against the run. There is some further depth here too with seniors Cortez Woods and Fred Lavulo, although neither have much game experience despite their senior status. Lavulo, though, goes 6-2, 310, and could at least provide some beef. The coaching staff hopes JC transfer Dupree Roberts-Jordan, a great pass rusher on the JUCO level, inserts himself into the equation. He may even move to end if needed.

Linebackers: With the top four tacklers from last year having graduated, the LB corps is in a serious state of flux and may be turned over to underclassmen and JC transfers. Of the players who were on the roster last season, it appears sophomore MLB Jordan Dobrich, sophomore SLB Bryan Lane, and junior WLB Jon McNeal would be the contenders to start. Dobrich got his feet wet last year and has smarts, quickness, and, perhaps best of all, size. Lane (17 tackles) was part of the rotation last year and while he needs to bulk up, he’s very fast. McNeal has a great combo of size, athleticism, and range. Although he didn’t see the field last year, he has potential based on practices.

All that being said, the starting trio will surely be altered by the arrival of JC transfers Ian Seau, Faigofie Faaituala, and Matthew Lyons. Seau, a nephew of Junior Seau, put up gaudy stats at Grossmont College, has prototypical size and range, and can play inside or outside. In fact, if needed, Seau could play end. He’s almost a lock to start somewhere. Faaituala and Lyons also have good size and will likely at least provide depth.

Secondary: Just like the LB corps, this unit was hit hard by graduation, with the top three tacklers graduating. The coaches shuffled some people around in the spring to try to find the best combo. One of the people moving is junior Charles Garrett, who is shifting from CB to SS to replace all-conference pick Duke Williams. Garrett (35 tackles, 10 pass breakups) was solid last year, but he has to prove he can hold up against the run.

Both the starter and backup at free safety graduated so both safeties will be new. However, Nevada does not have the luxury of having someone with experience at FS as they do with Garrett at SS. Sophomore Bryson Keeton is penciled in as the starter after appearing in six games last year. Keeton is a good athlete, but no one really knows how good he’ll be just yet. If he flounders at safety, he could move to corner.

Speaking of which, with Garrett moving and Khalid Wooten in the NFL, Nevada needs two new corners. Junior Evan Favors appears to have one job locked down after playing special teams and some nickel/dime packages last year. Favors has good size, but obviously hasn’t been asked to play many snaps. Senior Markus Smith, a former JC transfer, appears to have the unenviable task of replacing Wooten. Smith (16 tackles) also has good size and excelled at press coverage in his limited opportunities last year.

Depth is young, although the coaching staff seems excited about redshirt freshmen Randy Uzoma and L.J. Jackson at corner and true freshman Tere Calloway at safety. Uzoma was a high 3 star recruit who has nice size and speed. Jackson is an intriguing athlete, being a state high hurdle champion in a 6-0, 200 pound frame. Calloway may play both safety and running back and has great speed. He was also a high 3 star recruit.

Special Teams: The Wolf Pack return two nice pieces in punter Chase Tenpenny (43.3 average) and kick returner Kendall Brock, but must break in a new kicker and punt returner. Junior Colin Disworth appears to have the inside track for the kicking job, but was only 1 of 3 last year with misses from 29 and 38 yards. Wooten was a terrific punt returner (15.1 average) and he will be hard to replace there.

Schedule: The good news is that the home schedule, except for a game versus BYU, all look like sure wins. The bad news is that the road schedule is daunting, with trips to FSU, UCLA, San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State, and Colorado State. The CSU game is probably a win, but the rest could all be losses.

Overall: Nevada looks like they’ll be getting in a lot of shootouts this season. Fajardo is one of the best QBs you’ve never heard of and Nevada’s system is RB friendly. I just doubt that Jefferson will be missed that much and that is saying a lot considering the guy gained over 1800 yards. The WR corps is deep and talented. The offensive line is a question mark in pass protection, but looks like it should be fine blocking for the run game. The defense is where the problems continue. The defensive line returns plenty of experience and depth, but lacks game changers and appears susceptible to the run yet again. Unless the JC transfers step up at LB, that group looks iffy as well. The secondary is moving folks around and will surely miss Wooten. It isn’t as if Nevada puts tons of guys into the NFL. Having a new kicker could hurt in close games. What all of this adds up to is that Nevada will probably be a fun team to watch because there will be points scored. I doubt any team, including FSU, will shut their offense down. That being said, Nevada won’t shut anyone down. That, and the schedule, seems like a recipe for a 7-5 season.