Fresno State vs. Nevada

GAME PREVIEW By EDDIE HUGHES

Bulldogs

Quarterbacks
Paul Pinegar’s statistical surge continued last week against Hawaii. Pinegar completed 8 of 11 passes for 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It was the first pick he has thrown since the Boise State game Oct. 23. Pinegar is 34 of 49 for 550 yards and seven touchdowns in the past three games. Sophomore Jordan Christensen has gotten playing time in all three recent wins.

Running Backs
Wow. The Bulldogs rushed for a school-record 503 rushing yards last week. Junior Bryson Sumlin led the way with 222 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. Sophomore Wendell Mathis wasn’t far behind with 177 yards and three touchdowns on 23 attempts. If these two come anywhere close to duplicating that effort on Saturday, Nevada can forget about winning.

Receivers
The last four weeks have been good for sophomore Joe Fernandez. His receiving yards in those games—93, 55, 90 and 59—have been the four highest marks of the season for Fresno State. Junior Adam Jennings has three touchdowns in the past two games. Impressive stats are piling up for the team during this winning streak.

Offensive Line
Saturday marks the last home game for left tackle Logan Mankins, who has not allowed a sack this year on 219 pass plays. With 15 pancake blocks against Hawaii, Mankins now has 60 on the season. This unit was a big reason why the team rushed for so many yards in the blowout of Hawaii.

Defensive Line
The defensive linemen got their hands up and batted some passes against Hawaii. Those plays went a long way toward disrupting the Warriors’ throwing game. The Bulldogs will need to focus more on the run against Nevada, which should suit them just fine. Just two weeks ago, this group derailed Rice’s option. Junior Garrett McIntyre leads the team with six sacks and 10 tackles for losses.

Linebackers
A unit that started the year as one of the team’s question marks has little to be questioned about now. It turns out there is quite a bit of depth. Sophomore Dwayne Andrews is third on the team with 47 tackles. Sophomore Manuel Sanchez (36), sophomore Alan Goodwin (29), junior Kyle Goodman (24), freshman Marcus Riley (23) and senior Todd Garcia (20) are also in the top 12 in tackles on the team.

Defensive Backs
If anyone on Hawaii’s schedule was going to stop Timmy Chang, it was these guys. And they did, holding Chang to 167 yards. Freshman Clifton Smith had his first career interception late in last week’s game against Hawaii’s backup quarterback. Senior Nate Ray intercepted a Chang pass—his second pick of the year.

Special Teams
The Bulldogs struggled returning punts early against Hawaii. Jennings had five returns for minus-13 yards. Smith had a 62-yard return in his only attempt. He now has two punt returns for 129 yards and a touchdown this season.

Coaching
Pat Hill has the Bulldogs again looking likely to be bowl bound. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 164-35 in the past three weeks. And the team is getting attention from voters at 29th in the coaches’ poll.

Intangibles
The way Fresno State is playing right now, it’s tough to imagine a loss to Nevada. The home finale should attract a large, boisterous crowd, especially if the Bulldogs light up the scoreboard again.

Wolf Pack

Quarterbacks
Sophomore Jeff Rowe has thrown for 2,202 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Nevada averages more than 268 yards per game through the air. But the Bulldogs faced a more prolific passing offense last week and shut it down. Rowe and the Wolf Pack will be another big test.
Edge: Wolf Pack

Running Backs
Chance Kretschmer sprained his ankle two weeks ago and didn’t get any carries last week against SMU. He leads the team with 775 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The senior averages 4.9 yards per carry. Freshman Drew Robinson, listed atop the depth chart this week, is third on the team with 317 yards and four touchdowns. He averages 5.8 yards per carry on the year.
Edge: Bulldogs

Receivers
A Valley product is the go-to receiver for the Wolf Pack. Junior Nichiren Flowers—a former Tulare Union High teammate of the Bulldogs’ Awan Diles—has 75 catches for 966 yards and six touchdowns. Flowers averages just more than 96 yards per game. Sophomore Caleb Spencer is second with 679 yards and four touchdowns.
Edge: Wolf Pack

Offensive Line
Two seniors anchor a line that has helped Nevada rush for an average of 161 yards per game. Senior tackle Harvey Dahl (6-foot-5, 305 pounds) was first-team all-WAC last year and is up for honors again this season. Senior Chris Hines (6-2, 285) was second-team all-conference last season.
Edge: Bulldogs

Defensive Line
Junior end J.J. Milan leads the team with 4.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for losses this season. Senior tackle Chris Barry leads the unit, and is sixth on the team, with 41 tackles. Barry has four sacks and 9.5 tackles for losses. The front line will have to step up big to stop a Fresno State ground game that averages almost 213 yards per game.
Edge: Bulldogs

Linebackers
Freshman Jeremy Engstrom has come on strong after his redshirt season. The middle linebacker from Visalia’s Golden West High leads the Wolf Pack with 83 tackles and has 7.5 for losses. Weak linebacker Shaun Tagatauli is second on the team with 52 tackles and has two interceptions. This unit can expect to get a lot of work on Saturday, trying to slow Sumlin and Mathis.
Edge: Wolf Pack

Defensive Backs
Senior free safety Keone Kauo is tied for the team lead with three interceptions. Kauo is third with 49 tackles. Sophomore strong safety Nick Hawthorne and junior corner Kevin Stanley also have three interceptions apiece. But turnovers have rarely been made by the Bulldogs during the three-game winning streak.
Edge: Bulldogs

Special Teams
Senior kicker Damon Fine is 11 of 16 on field goals this season, with a long of 44 yards. Junior punter Justin Bergendahl averages 39 yards per attempt and has placed 13 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Edge: Bulldogs

Coaching
Chris Ault is 168-68-1 in his 20th year of coaching. He has coached at Nevada all 20 years, with this being his third stint at the school.
Edge: Even

Intangibles
The Wolf Pack hasn’t won a road game this season—and Bulldog Stadium isn’t an easy place for a good road team to win. But Nevada has to win this game to keep its bowl hopes alive.
Edge: Even