Juan Villa / The Collegian

Fresno State Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0 WAC) at Nevada Wolf Pack (2-2, 0-0 WAC)

Gameday: Saturday, 1 p.m., at Mackay Stadium

Television: Bulldog Sports Network (Comcast Channel 5)

Radio: KMJ-AM 580 and KGST-AM 1600 (ESPN Deportes)

Pre-game Show: Dog Talk at 11 a.m. (KMJ-AM 580)

Bulldogs’ Three Keys to Victory:

1)Exploit Nevada̢۪s poor rushing defense. Lonyae Miller is due for a breakout game Saturday. Miller, along with the other backs, needs to take advantage of a defense that has allowed 258.2 yards per game.

2)Stop the run. Nevada’s Luke Lippincott is a punishing back that can go for 100 yards easily. The ’Dogs have had trouble this season stopping opposing running games and will need to improve on this to contend.

3)Get a rhythm going on offense. Fresno State went three-and-out on numerous drives last week. The ̢۪Dogs need to sustain long drives and keep the chains moving against the Wolf Pack.

Hungry like the Wolf Pack…

Last Week: Beat UNLV 27-20

2006 Record: 8-5, 5-3 WAC (T-3rd)

Head Coach: Chris Ault (23rd Season)

Offense: The Pistol

Defense: 3-4

Key Players: RB Luke Lippincott, TE Adam Bishop, LB Josh Mauga

Series Record: Fresno State leads 23-13-1

Last Meeting: 2006 – Fresno State won 28-19 in Fresno

Position Match-ups

Quarterbacks: Fresno State

Graziano has nice numbers, but Brandstater’s experience gives him the edge.

Running Backs: Nevada

Lippincott has shown that he can carry the load all alone.

Offensive Line: Nevada

The Bulldogs have not been providing much protection.

Wide Receivers: Nevada

With Marlon Moore out, the Fresno receiving corps is severely depleted.

Defensive Line: Fresno State

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Clutts and Monga are proving to be a dynamic duo on defense.

Linebackers: Nevada

Mauga and Butler pose a formidable threat for the Wolf Pack.

Defensive Backs: Fresno State

The Bulldogs̢۪ pass defense is ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Special Teams: Nevada

Brett Jaekle is second in the WAC in kicking and has made a 50-yard field goal.

Breakdown:

Bulldogs

Last week̢۪s game against Louisiana Tech might have been ugly, but the bottom line is this: Fresno State is undefeated in conference play. The Bulldogs bring their unblemished WAC record into Reno this weekend, looking to keep things rolling.

This week̢۪s contest against Nevada will not be easy. Fresno State has never beat Nevada head coach Chris Ault at Mackay Stadium. Additionally it is homecoming for the Wolf Pack, which will make the environment even more hostile for Fresno.

Fresno State had only played at home two out of the first 53 days of the college football season. The Bulldogs will look to start this road trip on the right foot and improve to 2-0 in the

WAC

Offense:

̢ۢ The story still remains the same for the Bulldogs offensively: Tom Brandstater needs time to throw. Last week it seemed like Brandstater was hurried on every passing play. He went 8 for 22 passing for 92 yards, his worst performance of the season. If he is to succeed, he will need better protection from the makeshift line. Going up against the second-best pass defense in the conference doesn̢۪t help much either.

̢ۢ One bright spot for the Bulldogs offensively was the running game. After being stuffed by Oregon, the Fresno State running backs were able to gain 170 yards last week. Leading the way was Clifton Smith, who averaged 6.8 yards per carry and scored a touchdown. The running back committee should be poised for a breakout game against the Wolf Pack, who rank dead-last in the conference in stopping the run.

̢ۢ Wide receiver Jason Crawley caught his first touchdown of the season last Saturday. He will have to step up even more this weekend with the loss of his counterpart, Marlon Moore, who is out with an ankle injury.

Defense:

• The Bulldog defensive unit played outstanding last weekend, not giving up a touchdown for the third consecutive game at Bulldog Stadium. With the instability of the offense, the defense will need to keep up its dominance for the ‘Dogs to be successful.

̢ۢ Fresno State is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation in pass defense this season. The Bulldogs only allowed 118.8 yards per game in 2007. Cornerback Damon Jenkins will be back this week after sitting out last week̢۪s contest.

Nevada Media Relations

̢ۢ Tyler Clutts and Jon Monga lead the conference in sacks this season with 3.5 each. Clutts moved into sixth place on the all-time sacks leaders list with his performance last week. They will need to put lots of pressure on Nevada quarterback Nick Graziano.

̢ۢ Linebacker Marcus Riley has received early predictions for the WAC Defensive Player Of The Year Award. Riley is second in the conference and eighth in the nation with 47 tackles this season. His 13 tackles per game average ranks him No. 2 in the nation.

Breakdown:

Wolf Pack

The Nevada Wolf Pack have been a consistent force in the WAC for some time. This can be attributed to coach Chris Ault, who is in his 23rd season at the helm of Nevada. Riding a two-game winning streak and a victory over intrastate rival UNLV, the Wolf Pack of Reno is not expecting a letdown of any kind with the Bulldogs coming into town for homecoming.

Nevada is facing Fresno State for its conference opener for the second year in a row. The Wolf Pack would like nothing better than to repay the Bulldogs for the 28-19 loss they received last season. Nevada is fixed on opening conference play with a victory.

Offense:

̢ۢ A nice surprise for the Wolf Pack this season has been sophomore quarterback Nick Graziano. He has filled the void left by Jeff Rowe nicely, ranking third in the conference in passing with 1,012 yards, 10 touchdowns and an average of 253 yards passing per game. The pistol offense will be the Bulldog secondary̢۪s first true test this season.

̢ۢ Running back Luke Lippincott has been solid on the ground for the Wolf Pack. He is currently fourth in the WAC in rushing with 323 yards on 61 carries and two scores. Lippincott has rushed for over 100 yards twice this season.

̢ۢ Tight end Adam Bishop has five touchdown catches. Bishop has scored a touchdown in his last three games, including a game two weeks ago against Nicholls State, where he caught three passes for scores.

Defense:

̢ۢ The Wolf Pack is last in the conference, allowing 258.2 yards per game rushing. In contrast, the defensive secondary is second in the conference behind the Bulldogs, allowing only 172 yards per game.

̢ۢ The source of the defensive strength is in the Wolf Pack linebacking corps. Junior Josh Mauga is tied for second in the conference with 47 tackles. His counterpart is 2006 First Team All-WAC linebacker Ezra Butler. He has one sack this season, to go with 3.5 tackles for loss, which leads the team.