Photo courtesy of John Byrne / Nevada Athletics
Wolf Pack quarterback Cody Fajardo scans the field during a pass attempt against Air Force on Saturday, Nov. 15. Fajardo racked up 375 total yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception.
This time a year ago going into its matchup, Fresno State was 8-0 with quarterback Derek Carr lighting up scoreboards week-by-week while Nevada was 3-5 and coming off its first loss in nine years to bitter rival UNLV.
A year later, Carr is playing in the NFL and Fresno State is 4-6 after losing three of its last four games. Nevada comes off of a loss to Air Force last week, but is still 6-4 and in control of the West division in the Mountain West Conference.
Though this week’s game against Fresno State does not have the intrigue of one team attempting to continue their undefeated season, there is still quite a bit on the line. Both teams are coming into this weekend’s game with a 3-3 record in the conference and whoever wins will be in the drivers seat to represent the West division in the MWC title game.
JOSH HARPER AND MARTEZE WALLER ARE KEY TO BULLDOG OFFENSE
The Wolf Pack has one problem: its defense. Nevada has trouble stopping both the run and pass game, and this week it will face a Fresno State team that has key components in both aspects of the offense in senior wide receiver Josh Harper and junior running back Marteze Waller.
Last season, Harper had 1,013 yards and 13 touchdowns on his way to a second-team all-MW selection. Although his senior season has not been as spectacular, he is still a playmaking threat with over 700 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
The Wolf Pack secondary has been downright awful this season. Last week against Air Force, who is not a traditionally strong passing team, it gave up three passing touchdowns to Falcons quarterback Kale Pearson, which was a career high for him. Nevada will have to minimize Harper’s impact if it wants to win.
Nevada’s defense doesn’t just struggle against the pass, it also has a difficult time stopping the run, including last week when Nevada gave up 342 rushing yards to Air Force. This week the Wolf Pack will take on a talented running back in Waller. During this season Waller has rushed for 1,086 yards and nine touchdowns through 10 games. Waller is a talented running back who will run all over Nevada’s defense if the Pack don’t emphasize the run game. It will have to be the Wolf Pack’s finest defensive performance if they expect to leave Mackay Stadium with a victory.
WILSON IS A SHINING LIGHT FOR POOR BULLDOG DEFENSE
If there is a defense in the MWC worse than Nevada’s, it is Fresno State’s. This season, the Bulldogs have given up 491.1 yards a game and over 35 points a game. Fresno State had a three-game stretch where each team they played put up over 50 points. Nonetheless not everyone on Fresno State’s defense has struggled this season. Junior middle linebacker Kyrie Wilson has been one of the lone bright spots on the struggling unit.
Wilson is leading the team in tackles with 71, is tied for third on the team in tackles for loss with five and is in the team’s top five in sacks with one and is leading the team in interceptions with two. Wilson has also forced two fumbles this season. With Fresno State having a playmaker in the middle of its defense it will be important for the Wolf Pack to get its passing game going so they can avoid running the ball towards Wilson.
Stone Harper can be reached at sharper@sagebrush.unr.edu. and on Twitter @StoneHarperNVSB.