2014-15 Football Previews – (Mountain West) – Wolf Pack
The Mountain West as a complete conference isn’t going to be as competitive as it was last season, as the clear favorites are the Boise State Broncos and Fresno State Bulldogs in their respective divisions.
Nevada
- Mountain West Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews:
- Head Coach: Brian Polian
- 2013 Record: 4-8
- Nevada Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: (Field) 100-1
- Nevada Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Mountain Division: OFF
- Nevada Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Conference: 7/1
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The West Division, however, has a close competition for second place, and that’s a competition the Nevada Wolf Pack should have an edge in at the start of the year.
Nevada’s biggest competition for second place in the division will be the San Diego State Aztecs. SDSU should be strong this season, but a difficult schedule with tough away games could be the difference maker between second and third place in the division.
Team Strengths:
Quarterback Cody Fajardo played much of the 2013 college football season with a leg injury that took away a key aspect of his game: mobility. But even with his mobility limited, he managed to throw the ball at a decent rate. That efficiency should increase this season with his returned health, but also with the team’s group of receivers.
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With Richy Turner leading the way on the outside, Fajardo will have at least one go-to option that can take the pressure off of him to make plays with his legs.
The 6’5” senior is a big target, and one who caught for 755 yards and 61 catches last season.
Defensively, the frontline should be solid, but it wasn’t as good as advertised against the run in 2013. It will need to improve that part of the game this year, but with players such as Brock Hekking, Ian Seau and Lenny Jones on the ends, this group should improve.
Team Weaknesses:
The pistol offense and high-scoring, efficient rushing groups have become synonymous with Nevada football. That is, until last season.
Under a first-year coach, the team’s infamous and effective approach fell off the map. The team was held to an anemic 3.8 yards per carry, and it scored just 26.9 points per game, which was only good enough for 76th in the country.
The good news? The team returns eight starters on that side of the field. The bad news? The offensive line last season was a major problem, and it would be risky to assume it got better this offseason.
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On the other side of the ball, you’ll notice a familiar theme, which is an unreliable secondary. It sounds strange to say that with Charles Garrett leading the way, as he’s one of the best that the Mountain West has to offer, but he can’t cover every spot on the field by himself.
The Wolf Pack sure wish he could, but he’s going to need someone else to step up if the team is going to improve against the long ball and breakaway runs.
2014-15 Boise State Football Gambling Prediction: 6-6
Nevada’s schedule is friendlier this season than it was in 2013. That, as well as having more experience on the roster from returning players, should result in at least two more wins in 2014.
If Nevada can show a true turnaround on defense while returning to the effective offensive team it’s historically been, this team could compete with Fresno State for a spot atop the division. The Bulldogs are going to be reeling from significant losses, and while they’re the favorites, they’ll be vulnerable.
All that said, it would take a significant defensive improvement for this group to truly make the No. 1 spot in the division its own.
Expect a second or third place finish in the West Division.
2014 Nevada Schedule
- Sat, Aug 30 vs Southern Utah
- Fri, Sept 5 vs Washington St
- Sat, Sept 13 @ Arizona
- Sat, Sept 27 @ San Jose State
- Sat, Oct 4 vs Boise State
- Sat, Oct 11 vs Colorado State
- Sat, Oct 18 @ BYU
- Sun, Oct 26 @ Hawaii
- Sat, Nov 1 vs San Diego State
- Sat, Nov 15 @ Air Force
- Sat, Nov 22 vs Fresno State
- Sat, Nov 29 @ UNLV
