Nevada coach Jay Norvell accepts the trophy from Kevin McDonald, executive director of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, after the Pack’s 38-27 win against Tulane on Dec. 22, 2020, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
The Nevada Wolf Pack hopes to finally climb the mountain this season.
“We want to represent the West (Division) in the championship game,” quarterback Carson Strong said last month.
The Pack has never won a Mountain West division title, let alone an overall conference championship, since joining the league for the 2012 season.
Three head coaches (Chris Ault in 2012, Brian Polian from 2013-16 and now Jay Norvell since 2017) have tried to reach the Mountain West’s summit and all have fallen short.
The nine consecutive seasons without a first-place finish is the longest the Wolf Pack has ever gone to start a new era in a new conference.
That all could change in Year 10.
The Pack, coming off a breakthrough 7-2 season, was picked by the Mountain West’s media last month to face Boise State in the league title game this December. Nevada, which opens its season Saturday at California, also opens this season as the top ranked team in the Nevada Appeal’s Mountain West rankings, just ahead of No. 2 San Jose State and No. 3 Boise State.
San Jose State, which beat Nevada, 30-20, in the regular season and Boise State in the title game, 34-20 (both games were in Las Vegas), is already 1-0 this season after a 45-14 win over Southern Utah this past weekend. The Spartans will come to Mackay Stadium on Nov. 6 with a possible West Division title on the line.
“That (the loss to San Jose State) left a bad taste in our mouths last year,” Pack linebacker Lawson Hall said. “We left empty-handed.”
“We have to beat them,” Strong said. “They are the reigning champions.”
Much of the excitement surrounding this Wolf Pack team centers on Strong. The junior quarterback was the Mountain West’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 after throwing for 2,858 yards and 27 touchdowns. All of his top targets are back this season, including Romeo Doubs (58 catches, 1,002 yards, nine touchdowns), Cole Turner (49-6-5-9), Tory Horton (20-336-5) and Melquan Stovall (33-280-0). Also back is Elijah Cooks, who missed all but the first quarter of the first game of last year with a shoulder injury. Cooks had 76 catches for 926 yards and eight catches in his last full season in 2019.
“I’ve been lucky to coach some real good players,” said Norvell, who will be entering his fifth season as Nevada’s head coach with a 25-22 record. “Carson is one of those unique guys. When you (coach and player) share the same outlook and the same kind of passion, it’s so much fun. He just has a passion for learning and a passion for studying the game. That’s why you see his skill development at such a high level in games.”
Strong might have as many weapons on offense as any quarterback on the west coast. In addition to a talented receiver group, Strong can also hand the ball off to veteran running backs Toa Taua and Devonte Lee. Taua ran for 675 yards and four touchdowns last year while Lee picked up 427 yards and two scores.
The Pack averaged 31 points and 441 yards a game last year and will likely improve on those numbers significantly this year. Strong, Doubs, Turner and kicker Brandon Talton were all named to the Mountain West preseason team.
San Jose State had three defensive players named to the team, including defensive linemen Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko and defensive back Tre Jenkins. The Spartans surprising run to the league title a year ago came after seven consecutive seasons without a winning record. The Spartans, 7-1 a year ago, are hoping this year for their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1991 and 1992.
Boise State, 5-2 a year ago, battled COVID-19 problems all last year. The Broncos also lost head coach Bryan Harsin, who left the program immediately after the season, to take over the Auburn Tigers. He has been replaced by former Boise State player Andy Avalos.
San Diego State, a disappointing 4-4 a year ago, also could compete for a Mountain West title this year. The program, though, is in a state of flux right now, having to play its home games in Carson, Calif., for the second straight year while its new stadium is being built in San Diego.
Judging Mountain West teams on last season, though, is tricky. The year was arguably the most unique in college football history, given all of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The season did not begin until late October, robbing first-year Mountain West coaches like Marcus Arroyo of UNLV, Fresno State’s Kalen Deboer, Colorado State’s Steve Addazio, San Diego State’s Brady Hoke, Hawaii’s Todd Graham and New Mexico’s Danny Gonzalez a normal off-season program and summer training camp.
There will also be two more new head coaches in the Mountain West this season with Avalos taking over Boise State and Blake Anderson debuting with Utah State.
Only Air Force’s Troy Calhoun (14 seasons) and Wyoming’s Craig Bohl (seven) have been head coach longer at their current Mountain West schools than Norvell (four). Norvell this year will be just the sixth head coach in Nevada history to coach at the school for five or more years after Chris Ault (28), Dick Trachok (10), Jim Aiken (eight), Jerry Scattini (seven) and R.E. Courtright (five). Ault (233) is the only one with more than 40 victories.
All dozen Mountain West teams will be in action this week. Four Mountain West teams will be on the road against Pac-12 teams. Nevada is at Cal, Utah State is at Washington State, Fresno State is at Oregon and San Jose State is at USC. The Pac-12 is already 1-0 against the Mountain West this season after a convincing 44-10 UCLA victory over Hawaii last weekend.
Boise State will be at Central Florida on Thursday in another important non-league game for the Mountain West.
The Nevada Appeal’s Mountain West football rankings for the week of Aug. 30:
1. NEVADA (0-0). Last year’s record 7-2. This week: At California, Saturday.
2. SAN JOSE STATE (1-0). Last week: San Jose State 45, Southern Utah 14. Last year: 7-1. This week: at USC, Saturday.
3. BOISE STATE (0-0). Last year: 5-2. This week: at Central Florida, Thursday.
4. SAN DIEGO STATE (0-0). Last year: 4-4. This week: New Mexico State at San Diego State (at Carson, Calif.).
5. FRESNO STATE (1-0). Last week: Fresno State 45, Connecticut 0. Last year: 3-3. This week: at Oregon, Saturday.
6. HAWAII (0-1). Last week: UCLA 44, Hawaii 10. Last year: 5-4. This week: Portland State at Hawaii, Saturday.
7. AIR FORCE (0-0). Last year: 3-3. This week: Lafayette at Air Force, Saturday.
8. WYOMING (0-0). Last year: 2-4. This week: Montana State at Wyoming, Saturday.
9. COLORADO STATE (0-0). Last year: 1-3. This week: South Dakota State at Colorado State, Friday.
10. UTAH STATE (0-0). Last year: 1-5. This week: At Washington State, Saturday.
11. NEW MEXICO (0-0). Last year: 2-5. This week: Houston Baptist at New Mexico, Thursday.
12. UNLV (0-0). Last year: 0-6. This week: Eastern Washington at UNLV, Thursday.
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