Nevada down but not out of bowl picture

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Wolf Pack may be down, but coach Chris Ault's team is not completely out of the postseason bowl picture.

A Nevada win at home this week against Louisiana Tech and some help from either Boise State or Hawaii could send the Wolf Pack to a WAC-sponsored bowl game.

"We are going to worry about (Louisiana) Tech," Ault said. "We have to find a way to win in particular situations."

A Nevada win on Saturday would even the Pack's record to 6-6, 4-4 in the WAC.

Although Ault said he didn't want to talk about the possibility of playing in a bowl game, some of his players would like redemption for the 5-6 season.

"We set our expectations so high but to see them fall so far below is heartbreaking," said Nevada linebacker Ezra Butler.

Butler said he would like to see his teammates finish the season with a win against the Bulldogs.

Paul Pratt is another senior who would like to see Nevada take car of business in the final league game of the season.

"We have had a chance to go 9-1 or 8-2," he said. "We need to find a way to finish."

The Wolf Pack controls its own fate.

For the second straight week, Nevada let a lead slip away in the second half for a pair of losses. Nevada dropped a 28-26 game to Hawaii nine days ago on Dan Kelly's field goal with 11 seconds left.

Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick said the Wolf Pack worked to earn a shot at a bowl game. "This team deserves everything we get," he said. "If we win and make it to a bowl game, we deserve it."

Devon Walker said it has been hard to predict the outcome of Nevada's games, but he is hopeful of experiencing postseason play.

"We still have a chance of a bowl game. We don't want to go out with a loss," he said, referring to the Pack's game against Louisiana Tech.

Notes ... Ault is 5-2 against San Jose State after Saturday's loss. Nevada still leads the series, 12-8-2. The Pack defeated the Spartans last year for the fifth consecutive time. SJSU, though, is proving Spartan Stadium is a difficult place for visitors to play. The Spartans have won 12 of 14 home games ... Nevada's five losses this year have been by a total of 20 points ... With 342 yards passing, Spartans' quarterback Adam Tafralis surpassed the 300-yard mark for the seventh time this season. He finishes his collegiate career with 52 touchdown passes and school records of 8,117 yards of total offense and 7,548 yards of passing.