10 things to look for in the BC-Nevada game tonight

Ten things to look for during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl tonight (6 p.m., ESPN) in San Francisco between the Nevada Wolf Pack (12-1) and Boston College Eagles (7-5) ...

1. Will the Nevada Pistol offense became stale and out of sync in the 36 days off since its last game?

Well, if it does, it won't be the first time. Head coach Chris Ault's Pistol offense doesn't exactly have a stellar track record in bowl games. The Pack scored just 20 points in the MPC Computers Bowl against Miami (21-20 loss) in 2006, was shut out in a 23-0 loss to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl in 2007 and put up just 10 points last December (when running back Vai Taua was academically ineligible) in a 45-10 loss to SMU. The longest layoff the Pack had in any of those games was 36 days in 2006. But, don't forget, it's not like the Pack offense always vanishes in bowl games. The offense did fare well against Maryland (a 42-35 loss) in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl and in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl (a 49-48 win over Central Florida). So we'll see. One thing the Pack has going for itself this year is that the two most important players on offense (quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Taua) are seniors and (keep your fingers crossed) will play.

2. One final monkey to get off Wolf Pack's back

The Wolf Pack has taken care of quite a few bothersome trends this year. They started a season off 3-0 for the first time since 1991. They beat a Pac-10 team (California) for the first time since 2003. They beat a Top 25 team (Cal, Boise State) for the first time since 2005. They beat Boise State for the first time since 1998. They won a Western Athletic Conference title for the first time since 2005. They jumped into the Top 25 national rankings for the first time since 1948. They finished undefeated at home for the first time since 1996. Well, there's one more. The Pack will bring a four-game bowl game losing streak into tonight's game. No player on the current roster has ever won a bowl game. There is also one other brass ring for the Pack to grab tonight. The Pack is the only WAC team to play a team from a BCS conference this bowl season.

3. Will the Wolf Pack treat this like a comfortable home game or spend the evening looking for World Series souvenirs at AT&T Park?

There's no question there will be more Nevada fans in the stands Sunday than Boston College fans. The Wolf Pack sold its 15,000-plus tickets and that doesn't even count all of the Pack fans who bought tickets through the bowl game's Web site or had a Bay area friend pick them up for them. Pack fans only have to travel four hours by land (many of which will be on Pack party busses) to get to the game. Boston College fans, well, their mind right now is on Tom Brady, their beloved Celtics and Bruins and whether the Red Sox can add another $100 million piece before spring training. This should be a home game for the Pack. And they haven't lost at home since Sept. 25, 2009.

4. Colin Kaepernick could put on quite a show.

The Wolf Pack quarterback could make himself a lot of money tonight. Pack fans know how good Kaepernick is. And most college football fans west of Denver know about Kaepernick. This game, though, is going to educate everybody else. It will be the only game on TV after two NFL playoff games on Sunday. An east coast audience will be watching. Kaepernick wouldn't be the first quarterback to jump up three or four rounds in the NFL draft after an impressive bowl game performance. We're not saying that Andrew Luck had anything to worry about with being the No. 1 pick had he chosen to leave school. What we are saying is that a half dozen or so more NFL teams won't be able to wait until they steal Kaepernick in the draft next spring after tonight.

5. Something has to give.

Boston College has the No. 1-ranked rushing defense (80.2 yards per game) in the nation. Nevada has the third best rushing offense (305.92 yards per game) in the nation. The Wolf Pack, which led the nation in rushing in 2009, can make quite a statement Sunday night if they shred the Eagles on the ground. And the same goes for the Boston College defense. Something to keep in mind: The Pack has been able to run the ball in past bowl games with some success. Taua had 101 yards against Maryland in 2008 and B.J. Mitchell (178 yards) and Robert Hubbard (126) both sliced and diced Central Florida in 2005. Another thing to keep in mind: Kaepernick has never rushed for 100 yards in a bowl game.

6. Can Boston College linebackers Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlich take the pop out of the Pistol?

Kuechly leads the nation with 171 tackles and Herzlich, who missed all of last season as he underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer (Ewing's Sarcoma in his leg), has 60. You can bet one of them will keep an eye on Taua all night and the other will escort Kaepernick to the men's room if he has to. The Pack, though, has faced some pretty solid linebackers already this year. Hawaii's Corey Paredes had nine tackles and forced two tackles against the Pack. The other top linebacker performances against the Pack this year were turned in by Idaho's Tre'Shawn Robinson and Cal's D.J. Holt (16 tackles each), UNLV's Ronnie Paulo (13), Louisiana Tech's Jay Dudley (11), Utah State's Bobby Wagner (9) and San Jose State's Keith Smith (4 tackles, 2 for losses). So, odds are, Kuechly and Herzlich will get some pretty fancy tackle numbers and a lot of air time on ESPN tonight. But, other than Paredes, what do all of the top linebackers that played against the Pack this year have in common? They lost.

7. Can the Pack throw to win?

Yes, Boston College has a great run defense. But it might not matter. The Pack is 53rd in the nation in passing at 229.6 yards a game. Boston College's defense allows an average of 229.8 yards a game (81st in the nation). Boston College also has faced just two quarterbacks all season that can run at all in Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor and North Carolina State's Russell Wilson. And both of them killed the Eagles through the air. Taylor passed for 237 yards (16-of-21 passing) and Wilson passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns (38-of-51). The Eagles had three interceptions against Florida State's Christian Ponder and four against Wake Forest freshman Tanner Price. But those games were the exception. Boston College held just one team (Syracuse) to less than 170 yards passing this year. Weber State and Kent State each threw for over 200. Maryland freshman Danny O'Brien threw for three touchdowns and 179 yards (26-of-39). Duke sophomore Sean Renfree passed for 285 yards on 35-of-49 passing. So, yes, the Eagles can be beaten through the air.

8. Boston College won't be only team at AT&T Park that can play defense.

This bowl game is being billed as a great offense (Nevada) vs. a great defense (Boston College). Well, don't be surprised if the Wolf Pack defense takes that a little personally. Boston College's defense deserves all of the praise you can give it. Any team than can hold its opponents under 100 yards rushing deserves a pat on the back. But the Pack defense also made great strides this year. The Wolf Pack was also pretty stingy against the run, allowing just 125 yards a game (23rd in the nation). The Pack also has allowed just 23 more yards (252) through the air than the Eagles each game this year, just 67 more total yards as well as a little more than two points more a game (22). Also, don't forget, the Pack defense will be facing the Boston College offense (106th in the nation at 308 yards a game) while Boston College's defense has to face the Pack offense (second in the nation at 535 yards a game).

9. This Pack team thrives on the biggest stage

The Wolf Pack needs to win Sunday to cap off the greatest season in school history. A 13th victory would tie the 1986 and 1990 teams for the most in school history. The Pack seniors have never won a bowl game. Pack coach Chris Ault is 1-5 in bowl games. That would seem like a lot of pressure but this Pack team plays its best when the pressure is at its greatest. The last thing this Pack team wants to do is end the year on a downer. Boston College, on the other hand, is just happy to be playing anywhere against anyone right now. They were 2-5 in the middle of October. A bowl game in January is the last place they thought they'd end up. The Eagles are on vacation this week. The Pack is on a business trip.

10. Can the Wolf Pack fight the urge to be overconfident?

On paper, this doesn't really look like much of a football game.

The Wolf Pack, after all, is ranked 13th in the nation by the Associated Press, 15th in the BCS standings and 15th in the USA Today coach's poll. Boston College is about the sixth or seventh best team in the 12-team ACC.

The Wolf Pack offense is as good as any team in the nation not named Ducks. This game will be like a home game for the Pack, a short drive over the mountains. If this was the 1920s, Boston College would have had to leave by the middle of December to get to San Francisco by Jan. 9. To be honest, it's a wonder why the Pack is only a 7 or 8-point favorite in this game. Shouldn't the 13th best team in the nation be a double-digit favorite against a 7-5 team? But. if the Pack has had a recurring weakness this year, it's that they kind of sleep-walk their way past inferior teams (see Utah State, San Jose State, BYU, Louisiana Tech, Eastern Washington, UNLV). They only time they got caught doing that was at Hawaii. Will the Pack be overconfident on today? Nevada players have had 36 days of everyone telling them how great they are. You would hope (and this is Ault's challenge) that the Pack would treat this game like a Super Bowl and play with as much intensity as they did against Boise and Cal. But you never know.