Idaho vs. Nevada Recap

Nevada ranked 18^th?

Is it possible?

I think come tomorrow’s BCS selection show we might just see Nevada sitting at #18. Here’s why: #’s 22,21,19,15, and 12 lost. I think those 5 teams will fall below us in the BCS rankings. #’s 8,6, and 5 also lost but I do not think they will fall below us.

Here’s another thing, Nevada played its best game to date this season. Yes I know that one can argue that our best game was against Cal, but lets be honest, this was complete domination. Nevada racked up 844 yards of total offense, the highest number put up by any team this season. Nevada also used it’s 3^rd string quarterback on it’s final possession.

Now I know Idaho isn’t exactly a great team but we did what we’re supposed to do, pull ahead and keep on moving forward. Our special teams played like crap at times but somehow found a way to remedy their mistakes. Nevada forced 4 turnovers which is what we were supposed to do.

The play of Kaepernick could not have been better. I also want to point out how well Brandon Wimberly, James-Michael Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Duke Williams, Rishard Matthews, Malcolm Shepherd, Lampford Mark, Vai taua, and Mike Ball played in this game. It is rare for 10 players to shine the way these 10 did today. Now if only Isaiah Frey would turn his head more often and join this group.

What I saw today out of this team was a team that DESERVES to be ranked and could compete with every team in the nation. If this kind of play keeps up, we could be seeing a #3 Boise St. vs #14/15 Nevada matchup come November 26^th that should have the Broncos a little weary. As it is right now, I don’t see the spread being more than 7pts. Lets hope that this play keeps up through next week at Fresno St, another tough opponent that we can’t look beyond.

And just in case anyone is wondering, had Nevada not have lost to Hawaii, we could be talking about a team that would most likely be ranked #6 or 7 tomorrow.

Nevada vs. BYU

The pack comes into this game ranked #26 in the USA Today poll and #27 in the AP (If USC was not ranked in this poll they would be #26). I would like to thank the voters for these rankings, they could not be any better and I'll explain why.

Nevada travels to Provo for what should be an easy game, but it has the potential to be the complete opposite. On paper Nevada has the Cougars dominated, and the Cougars have looked like a move to D2 would have been a better move than going independent based on what they've done in the past 2 weeks. But Provo is a tough place to play. I've had the honor of watching a BYU game on a neutral field and the fans that traveled were louder than the Nevada fans at last weeks Cal game. And they're sober, which means they are in unison and you don't lose one here and there like some of ours end up in the paddy-wagon.

So why does the ranking mean so much? Because rankings mean everything. If the pack was ranked #25, there would be a sense of "we made it", and with that a little extra confidence and swagger that's not needed yet. Not to mention the added bigger bulls-eye on our backs.

The ranking at #26 is just enough to say "you guys are good, but not sure if you're that good." The bulls-eye is still there but not as big as it could have been. This results in what should be extra motivation to go out there and get what needs to be done, well, done.

As long as the pack doesn't get caught up getting stupid offside penalties (based on crown noise), this should be a walk in the park. Expect ~200 yards from #34 Vai Taua, ~165 from #10 Colin Kaepernick, and ~100 from #29 Lampford Mark. Kaepernick will throw for another 150 but as this game should be over at the end of the 1st, don't expect to see much in the passing game. #85 Virgil Green, and #15 Rishard Matthews will have the bulk of these yards.

Projection:

Nevada 66 - BYU 17