Sports fodder for a Friday morning . . ..
It might be time to think of a cute little nickname for the Nevada Wolf Pack football team’s defense. The offense has been known as The Pistol since 2005. The beloved offense, starting with Rabbitt Bradshaw in the 1920s through Colin Kaepernick nearly a century later, was always credited for everything that was good in the Wolf Pack football world. The Pack defense, on the other hand, has been criticized and blamed for everything evil in northern Nevada from chain requirements on Interstate 80 in the winter to drought in summer. That has to stop. The defense is the reason why this Pack season is still worth watching. The Pack has quietly held its last six opponents under 30 points. That’s the longest such streak since the 1996 team did it eight games in a row. The 1996 and 2015 teams are the only Pack teams since the program went to Division I-A in 1992 to hold opponents under 30 points for six games in a row. The Pistol this year has been a six shooter that carries just three bullets. The defense has been around to pick up the team when the offense shoots itself in the foot.
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Defensive coordinator Scott Boone and his defensive assistants Mike Bradeson, Bill Teerlinck and Ricky Thomas have kept this Pack team afloat this year. The Pack has yet to allow more than 28 points in any of its five Mountain West games this year. San Diego State is the only other Mountain West team that has yet to allow at least 30 points in a league game this year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the heart and soul of this defense -- the front seven -- is going to be gutted after this year. Senior defensive linemen Ian Seau, Rykeem Yates, Lenny Jones and Kevin McReynolds as well as linebackers Matt Lyons, Jordan Dobrich, Bryan Lane and Faigofie Faaituala will all be playing their final home game this Saturday at Mackay Stadium. So hold off on that cute little nickname for the defense right now.
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Saturday’s game against San Jose State is huge for the Wolf Pack. One more win makes the Pack bowl eligible for the 10th time in the last 11 years. A win will also leave a favorable impression on Pack fans in the final home game. A win will also put the Pack in the driver’s seat for second place in the West Division of the Mountain West and keep alive its dream of finishing first. A win gives the Pack a three-game winning streak. A win gives the Pack its seventh straight victory over San Jose State and a continued recruiting edge in northern California. A win also assures the Pack of finishing no worse than 6-6 in the regular season. A wins stops a three-game losing streak on Senior Day and a win gives the Pack a winning (4-2) record at home this year.
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It seems like the Wolf Pack men’s basketball team loves playing for new coach Eric Musselman. Musselman has been overly positive and supportive of his team and that attitude has lifted this team’s confidence level substantially. Yes, they are probably more confident than talented right now but that’s better than the other way around, which was almost always the case during the David Carter era. Musselman is smart, decisive, extremely self confident, has a clear and distinct plan and, yes, he has that “Former NBA Coach” trademark stamped on his forehead. That all leads to unbending respect from his players. Carter’s teams always seemed a loss or two away from total disaster. Once the losing started it was like a boulder rolling down Mt. Rose. A loss or two won’t derail Musselman’s teams.
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Carter’s teams always seemed afraid of their own shadow. They’d go to the free throw line and you could almost see them shaking. Shooting jump shots was like taking a final exam for a class in which they never even bought the book. This Pack team plays as if it is coming off three Final Four appearances. The hitch in D.J. Fenner’s jumper magically disappeared one day in practice. This team can now make free throws blindfolded. A.J. West even seems to know where to be on the floor at all times. Marqueze Coleman looks like a leader on the floor. Of course it is early. And, yes, they haven’t even played a team that could stay with them in a video game, let alone on the court. So we might be getting ahead of ourselves right now. But it would be surprising if this team doesn’t at least finish with a winning record this year. That’s how much confidence means in college sports.
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Cameron Oliver, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound freshman, is already the Pack’s best player. Oliver has NBA big man skills. He attacks the basket like his shorts are on fire. He shoots mid-range jumpers like a small forward and he runs the court like a shooting guard. He’s the best Pack freshman since Deonte Burton. By the time he leaves Nevada after four years (three?) he could run for mayor of Reno and win. The Sacramento native should be playing in the Pac-12 right now. Then again, Musselman should be a head coach in the Pac-12 right now so it all makes sense. Sort of. Enjoy it while it lasts, Pack fans.
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Don’t worry, Colin Kaepernick fans. Your hero’s exile to the San Francisco 49ers bench is going to last just one more game, if that long. Backup Blaine Gabbert will be exposed at Seattle on Nov. 22 as the first-round bust that he is and Kaepernick will be back under center. Gabbert beat the Falcons 17-16 last week but he didn’t play all that well, completing just 15 passes for 185 yards and throwing two picks as the offense didn’t even score in the second half. The 49ers are actually doing Kaepernick a favor by not starting him at Seattle. That likely won’t go well no matter who is the 49ers quarterback. It will be a fitting end to the Gabbert era and Kaepernick can start to showcase his talent for his next NFL team starting Nov. 29 against Arizona.