Nevada Wolf Pack Preview 2024
Nevada was a consistent Mountain West power just a few years ago.
Blindsided by the defection of head coach Jay Norvell to Colorado State - along with a slew of his recruits and key players - Nevada didn’t recover.
It went a little bit unconventional with Ken Wilson, but it didn’t work with two straight 2-10 seasons for the worst two-year run since the program went back to FBS status in 1992.
But again, Nevada is used to having winning football teams, going to bowls in 14 out of 17 seasons before things crashed in 2022.
Enter Jeff Choate, a well-traveled veteran of a head coach who built back Montana State into two playoff seasons in 2018 and 2019 - finishing fourth in the nation in ’19 - before leaving for the Texas defensive coordinator gig over the last three seasons.
This won’t be an instant turnaround. It’s not line Nevada has been all that close with four of the last 21 losses - to just four wins - being by more than a touchdown.
Expect a more defensive identity, stronger performances on the ground, and a decent-sized step forward.
Nevada Preview 2024: Offense
- Choate is more of a defensive coach, and that puts the pressure on Matt Lubick. The veteran offensive coordinator worked at Kansas, Nebraska, Washington and Oregon over the last ten years, and now it’s his job to get this Wolf Pack attack working again.
Nevada was miserable on third downs, couldn’t keep defenses out of the backfield, and sputtered badly - it scored more than 28 points once in the last 21 games. It starts now with …
- The O line has to be far, far better. It was among the worst in the nation in tackles for loss allowed - no one had time to work. A few okay starters are back - Isaiah World is fine at left tackle - and the transfer portal is helping with the depth.
The running backs are good enough to produce if they get room to move. Former Oregon back Sean Dollars led Nevada with 527 rushing yards, and former 1,000-yard back Patrick Garwo is coming in from Boston College.
- QB Brendon Lewis deserves a bit of a pass - he had NO time to work. the former Colorado starter can move, but he only threw two touchdown passes. In comes Chubba Purdy - Brock’s brother - from Florida State to push for the gig.
The receiving corps lost everyone. The seven guys who caught 100 yards or more are done or gone, and now it’s up to West Virginia transfer Cortez Braham and Nate Burleson II - who’s coming off a broken wrist - to shine.
Nevada Preview 2024: Defense
- The offense was bad, and the defense was every bit as awful. In comes Kane Ioane from Boise State to take over as the new defensive coordinator, and he has plenty of work to do. It starts with a line that did next to nothing against the run and didn’t get into the backfield. But …
- The linebacking corps should be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Leading pass rusher - with just four sacks - Marcel Walker-Burgess is in the transfer portal, but Drue Watts is a longtime tackling machine for the Nevada D, and Tongiaki Mateialona is a good one in the middle.
They need help from the new guys up front - Wisconsin’s Kaden Johnson should help on the outside - but this is a smallish bunch that needs to be quicker and form a good rotation.
- The secondary has its corners, but the safeties need the the new parts to rock. KK Meier showed promise at one cornerback spot last season, but it’s the safety tandem of Kitan Crawford and Keyshawn Cobb that should bring the improvement.
Nevada Key To The Season
The offensive line has to do one thing right.
Everything starts with getting something out of the O line. Nevada wasn’t awful in the time of possession battle, but that’s because the offense kept things moving. Bad in pass protection, worse at preventing tackles for loss, and lousy for the ground game, it’s been a rough run for years. But …
Nevada Key Player
WR Cortez Braham, Sr.
Name an offensive lineman and he’s the key player, but the almost-new receiving corps has absolutely nothing returning production-wise from last season. It’s a young group, and the senior transfer from West Virginia gets the chance to be the leader on the outside after catching just 17 passes in the last two seasons.
Nevada Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: S Kitan Crawford
The one-time star recruit for Texas was a part of the rotation over the last two seasons, but in his four-year career in Austin he made just 61 tackles with three broken up passes and a pick. He has the athleticism, and he might stand out as a statistical star for the Nevada secondary following Choate over to Reno.
Top Transfer Out: WR Dalevon Campbell
Again, Nevada lost all of its top receivers from last season. Jamaal Bell went to Baylor, TE Keleki Latu left for Washington, and Campbell - who averaged over 19 yards per catch with a team-high 594 yards - is gone to South Carolina.
Nevada Key Game
Georgia Southern, Sept. 7
It’ll possibly be a tough first few weeks for the Wolf Pack. SMU is a home game, but that’s rough. Going to Troy won’t be easy, and the date at Minnesota is for a paycheck - that’s all before the middle of September.
Along with that is a home game against Georgia Southern. Nevada has to get a win somewhere to get the new era started, and in its third game of the season, this has to be it.
Nevada 10 Best Players
1. Drue Watts, LB Jr.
2. Tonkiaki Mateialona, LB Sr.
3. Isaiah World, OT Jr.
4. Dalton Campbell, WR Sr.
5. Sean Dollars, RB Sr.
6. Kitan Crawford, S Sr.
7. Patrick Garwo, RB Sr.
8. Chubba Purdy, QB Sr.
9. Andrew Madrigal, C Jr.
10. KK Meier, CB Soph.
Nevada 2023 Fun Stats
- 3rd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 112, Nevada 38
- Sacks: Opponents 41 for 247 yards, Nevada 17 for 101 yards
- Touchdowns Scores: Opponents 50, Nevada 23
Nevada 2024 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
The new coaching staff should make a big difference almost immediately.
It won’t be a big season record-wise, but the program that’s gone 2-20 over the last 22 games should at least take a bit of a step forward.
It’ll be the underdog in almost every Mountain West game - there are NO breaks whatsoever with winnable games against San Jose State and Hawaii on the road - but there should be a few wins coming.
Eastern Washington isn’t a layup, but Nevada has to win that to have any fun this year. Beating Colorado State would be a big deal, and it’ll sneak away two more wins from somewhere.
Again, this season is about improving, even if it’s just a little bit. That should happen with a 13-game season.
Set The Nevada Win Total At … 3.5
Likely Wins: Eastern Washington
50/50 Games: Colorado State, Georgia Southern, at Hawaii, at San Jose State, at UNLV
Likely Losses: Air Force, at Boise State, Fresno State, at Minnesota, Oregon State, SMU, at Troy
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