Nevada Wolf Pack
WAC
After a tough start to the season, Nevada has pulled together and had a pretty good year. Coach Chris Ault continues to do great things in the biggest little city and this has been one of his better coaching jobs during his 27 year tenure. The Wolf Pack were expected to be right in the middle of a wide open WAC race and they proved to be a little better than that.
2011 Record: 7-5, 5-2
Last Bowl Appearance: 2010 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl vs. Boston College (W 20-13)
Big Wins: 10/22 Fresno State (45-38), 11/12 Hawaii (42-28)
Bad Losses: 11/19 Louisiana Tech (20-24), 11/26 at Utah State (17-21)
Coach: Chris Ault (88-49 at Nevada, 88-49 overall)
Bowl Record: 2-6 at Nevada, 2-6 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Chris Ault
Defensive Coordinator: Andy Buh
Strengths:
Nevada is known for their passing attack, but this team gets the job done on the ground. The Wolf Pack had a handful of backs fighting for playing time, but Mike Ball quickly turned into the workhorse before being kicked off of the team. Ball may have handled a majority of the carries, but the Wolf Pack have touchdown vulture Lampford Mark and Stefphon Jefferson available as well. Mark and Jefferson have had to step up during Ball’s absence and that will need to continue in the bowl game. Quarterback Cody Fajardo can do a lot of damage with his feet too. The redshirt freshman is always a threat to scramble and the Wolf Pack will design plenty of runs for him as well. But Fajardo can throw the ball. He may not get the ball down the field too often, but he is a very accurate passer. As he gains more and more experience, Fajardo has done a better job of keeping the turnovers down and that has been a very big deal for this offense down the stretch of the season.
Weaknesses:
As long as the offense can avoid turnovers, the defense will be decent. Early in the year the defense was put into many bad situations due to offensive turnovers and that has been with this unit ever since. Steady improvement throughout the season has been there, but this is still a team that can allow a lot of points. Linebackers James-Michael Johnson and Brandon Marshall are both versatile players who lead the Wolf Pack in tackles. However, defensive tackle Brett Roy is the player the opposition has to keep an eye on at all times. Pretty much on his own, Roy provides more pressure than most teams. His ability to make the opposing quarterback move has created a lot of opportunities for the secondary. Players like Khalid Wooten and Isaiah Frey have picked off quite a few passes and Frey is one of the best corners in the Western Athletic Conference. The opposition should not throw in his direction, but they do anyway and he makes them pay. But after they learn that, they throw to the other side of the field and have success.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Lampford Mark, RB, 728 yards
Passing: Cody Fajardo, QB, 1,647 yards
Receiving: Rishard Matthews, WR, 1,364 yards
Tackles: Brandon Marshall, LB, 96
Sacks: Brett Roy, DT, 10.0
Interceptions: Isaiah Frey, CB, 5
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 254.18 (18th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 262.83 (31, 5)
Total Offense: 517.00 (5, 1)
Scoring Offense: 30.82 (38, 3)
Rushing Defense: 147.00 (57, 4)
Pass Defense: 231.00 (66, 2)
Total Defense: 378.00 (61, 4)
Scoring Defense: 27.27 (64, 2)
Turnover Margin: -.27 (82, 5)
Sacks: 1.91 (64, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 1.18 (24, 1)
