SJSU vs. Nevada

Sorry for the delay but school comes first.

Besides, there's not much to talk about when it comes to this game. SJSU is wishing they didn't have this game to play.

I see this game being an absolute blowout (I hope).

From the offensive side of the ball expect huge numbers. Kaepernick has been struggling to put up numbers as of late as you can see by that awesome graph I made. On the other hand Vai has been picking up the slack. This is not a problem as it shows how talented we are on the offensive side of the ball. Expect Kaepernick, and Vai to break some huge runs this game. Also expect some short passes to Virgil Green and Brandon Wimberly to end up going for big gains as this SJSU defense has had trouble making tackles in the open field.

Defensively expect the defensive line to have a field day. More big numbers from them as this SJSU offensive line will have a hard time giving their quarterback the time he needs. Expect quick screen passes that our defense will be prepared for. At the linebacking core expect more big numbers from Brandon Marshall and James-Michael Johnson. There is a chance that our secondary will give up a big play or two but I'm not seeing that very likely in this game. Instead I see 1-2 interceptions by our secondary.

Final Score Prediction:

SJSU 3 - Nevada 79

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

Cal vs. Nevada

Let's talk football. This Friday is the game that can make or break the season, up to this point that is. The Pack must go into this game like the season depends on it because it does. I'm also getting tired of hearing people say how the team is going to get "smoked" on Friday by a far superior team. Guess what? they are not far superior, I find these two teams to be very evenly matched. I think it's a little too early to look at scoring and defensive statistics so we won't go there. What I am going to talk about is what needs to happen.

This game is going to be close, I see it a one-possession game going into the 4th quarter. This favors the Wolf Pack due to their depth at running back, after all we are a ground and pound team. But we can not rely on the running game to win the game for us, we have to use the running game to open up the passing game which will be crucial. Virgil Green is arguably one of the best catching tight-end's in college football which will open up the passing game even more, another plus. If you followed the Pack last year, you know who Brandon Wimberly is, unfortunately he hasn't been utilized much this year so far, but there hasn't been a need to. He will be a huge impact on this game's outcome. Expect to see at least 7 receptions from him and somewhere around 100 yards out of him. If the Bears give him any open space, they will quickly see what he can do.

I don't see the running game having any problems in this week's match-up. Vai will get his 100 yards and kaepernick will add on another 100.

The biggest question is the defense. There is no secret that we have had a problem with the secondary but last week was a shimmer of hope. Sure we played a lesser opponent, but in previous years even that opponent would have gotten 2-3 long passes good enough for 6. The secondary last week stood its ground and if they play that good this week, we might be talking about how "we killed Cal" last weekend. Realistically though, they will give up 2 long plays, but that's better than giving up 5. The rest of the defense will play strong and cause the Bear's offense a lot of trouble. Look for MLB #52 James-Michael Johnson and OLB #33 Brandon Marshall to make big stops and big plays once again.

Outcome?

If you still think "Nevada is going to get smoked" just look at the betting lines for this game. I don't make these numbers, professional odds-makers do and they are saying Cal wins BUT only by 3 points. Now look at the over/under for this game, they also think there will be 110 points on the scoreboard by the end of regulation. If you do the math you'll see it doesn't add up, but with a little understanding you can see that they are calling the outcome of the game:

Cal 57 - Nevada 53

What's my call?

When it comes down to it, the Nevada defense is underrated, I'm not saying they are great, I'm saying they are underrated. The defense will make a late stand when they need to and the offense will score one more touchdown to put the game away in the last 2 minutes.

Cal 45 - Nevada 54