Nevada's Toa Taua breaks free for a touchdown against New Mexico State on Oct. 9, 2021 at Mackay Stadium.
Quick, which team has the longest active bowl-game streak in the Mountain West?
It’s not defending champion Utah State, which missed the 2020 bowl season. It’s not any of the conference’s California teams. It’s not even perennial MW bully Boise State, which has actually missed two straight bowl seasons despite being eligible both times.
No, the correct answer is “Nevada,” which has an active streak of four straight bowl appearances. Under former head coach Jay Norvell, the Wolf Pack won the Arizona Bowl (2018), split games at the Idaho Potato Bowl (2019, 2020), and lost last season’s Quick Lane Bowl (with Norvell having left the program three weeks earlier).
Extending the streak to five, though, is looking like an uphill battle.
The Wolf Pack enters Saturday’s season opener at New Mexico State (7 p.m., ESPN2) with a new coaching staff, an almost-completely overhauled roster, and many more questions than answers. How quickly new head coach Ken Wilson and his staff can make up for the loss of 20 transfers — including 11 who followed Norvell to Colorado State — will go a long way toward determining if Nevada can reach the six wins necessary to play in a bowl for the fifth straight season.
Can Nevada pull it off? Here are six key things to watch for in the upcoming 2022 season — one for each of the necessary wins.
Managing the schedule
Nevada could — and probably should — be halfway to its six-win goal after its first three games. The Wilson era opens with a road game at New Mexico State, followed by consecutive home games against Texas State and FCS-level Incarnate Word. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
A 3-0 start would mean needing to find only three wins in the Wolf Pack’s remaining nine games. Likely candidates would be UNLV (117th nationally in ESPN’s Football Power Index rankings), Hawaii (105th), and the “Norvell Bowl” against visiting Colorado State (114th).
Nevada (98th) even gets its toughest Mountain West games — Boise State, San Diego State, and Fresno State — at home. In the end, if six wins can’t be found this season, it won’t be the schedule’s fault.
Youngsters must contribute
The Pack will be one of the youngest and least-experienced teams in the nation, a projection borne out by its official season-opening depth chart. A total of 19 freshmen or sophomores appear in the two-deep, and it’s likely many of them will be expected to contribute right away.
The list includes former Douglas star Chris Smalley, who is listed as the backup at the “Rush” spot (think edge-rushing linebacker/defensive end). Smalley is the only Northern Nevada product to open the season on the two-deep chart.
Beyond the former Tigers star, it’s worth keeping on eye on the likes of offensive lineman Kai Arneson, tight end Cooper Schults, and cornerback Darrion Green-Warren. All are young transfers from Power 5 programs.
Finding a quarterback
Nevada lists six quarterbacks on its roster, but the fall camp spotlight has been on the two most likely to play.
Fifth-year senior Nate Cox and sophomore Shane Illingworth are at opposite ends of the quarterback spectrum. Cox has led the Pack offense before, but mostly in a limited role (he has 45 career passing attempts). Illingworth, an Oklahoma State transfer, is a newcomer to the program, but was impressive in a backup role in Stillwater (seven TD passes in six appearances).
Simplifying it: Cox might be the QB of the present, but Illingworth — who has four years of eligibility left — looks like the QB of the future. Will the Pack use just one of them? Both? If Cox falters early, does Wilson start thinking ahead to the 2023 season and beyond?
Again, the Pack really needs a 3-0 start to the season. If quarterback play prevents that, look for changes to be made.
Run it with authority
There’s not a ton of experience or age on the Nevada depth chart, but the running back spot is an exception.
Nevada’s backfield features experienced runners Toa Taua and Devonte Lee, both fifth-year players who are among the Mountain West’s most effective runners. Taua has more than 3,000 career yards and has played in 47 games; Lee is a short-yardage machine who has reached the end zone on 21 of his 278 carries.
Expect to see both running backs getting a lot of touches, especially as Nevada figures out its quarterback situation. There’s no reason for the Pack not to play to its strength.
Trust the secondary
Along with its two veteran running backs, Nevada enters the 2022 season with solid depth in the secondary. That’s a definite plus for a defense — other than fifth-year star Dom Peterson on the line — that’s mostly populated by a cast of unknowns.
Wolf Pack fans, though, won’t need to hold their breath whenever the other guys have an obvious passing down. Starting defensive backs Tyson Williams, Jaden Dedman, Bentlee Sanders, and Isaiah Essissima are all either seniors or fifth-year players. They have combined to play in 82 games for Nevada, with Sanders (South Florida) and Essissima (Wake Forest) also getting meaningful playing time at their previous schools.
Spotlight on transfers
With the roster decimated by graduation, NFL signings, and outgoing transfers, Wilson had little choice but to hit the transfer portal hard after he was hired in December.
The results were encouraging, with the Pack managing to land a number of players from Power 5 programs, a rarity until now. Four of those players — Arneson, Shults, running back Cross Patton, and receiver Spencer Curtis — followed Wilson from Oregon, and all four could play important downs right away. Other signings from big programs included Illingworth, Green-Warren (Michigan), receiver B.J. Casteel (Arizona), and linebacker Junior Walling (Oregon State).
All of them, and many more from smaller programs, will be wearing “Pack” on their helmets this season. How well they come together as teammates could play a big role in reaching the six-win milestone.
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