Nevada running back Devonte Lee (2) rushes during the second half of the Quick Lane Bowl against Western Michigan on Dec. 27, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 52-24 loss to the Western Michigan Broncos on Monday in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit:
QUARTERBACK: C
Nate Cox, in case you were wondering, is not Carson Strong. But Cox did resemble his more celebrated former teammate on Monday with his heart, competitiveness and leadership. Cox gave a gutsy performance running a skeleton version of what was the Wolf Pack offense in name only.
The 6-foot-9 quarterback completed just 12-of-23 passes for 121 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran the ball for eight yards on 13 carries (28 yards in losses on six sacks shrunk his running totals).
So, yes, Cox is not Carson Strong. But not even Carson Strong would have been Carson Strong on Monday with a supporting cast on offense missing the bulk of its coaches (who bolted to Colorado State) and its playmakers because of transfers (also mainly to Colorado State) and those (Strong, wide receiver Romeo Doubs and tight end Cole Turner) who chose to sit out the game rather than risk injury in preparation for next April’s NFL draft.
Cox was extremely effective running the ball, at least on those runs when he got past the line of scrimmage. He had 36 yards on seven carries that didn’t end up as sacks. He had a 12-yard run that helped set up the Pack’s first touchdown and a 7-yarder that helped set up the Pack’s second touchdown.
RUNNING BACKS: A
Devonte Lee turned in one of the greatest games of his Wolf Pack career, picking up 85 yards on just seven carries. It’s the second most yards Lee has ever gotten in a game in his four-year career, behind just the 105 yards on 18 carries he had against Tulane in last year’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.
Lee had a 34-yard run that set up a Pack field goal, a 22-yard run that set up his own 1-yard touchdown, and a 33-yarder that set up another Pack score. He showed speed and moves seldom seen in his Pack career and it’s a wonder why he didn’t get at least 25 carries.
Toa Taua struggled, picking up just 28 yards on 11 carries. All but three of his carries picked up three yards or fewer. Taua did have runs of six and nine yards and also scored on a 1-yard run and caught a couple passes for 23 yards.
RECEIVERS: C
Jamaal Bell did catch a game-high seven passes for 75 yards. Those seven catches were as many as he caught all season long going into the game. Bell also caught an 18-yard touchdown to cut Western Michigan’s lead to 45-24 with five minutes to play. His 28-yard catch started that touchdown drive.
Bell, though, is likely the only Pack receiver on Monday that Pack fans had ever heard of before the bowl game. All of the familiar names (Doubs, Justin Lockhart, Elijah Cooks, Tory Horton, Cole Turner and Melquan Stovall) were either preparing for the NFL draft or trying on their new Colorado State or San Jose State jerseys.
Tyrese Mack (one catch), Carson Walters (one catch) and Douglas High graduate Reagan Roberson (one catch), like Bell, all equaled their 2021 season in catches. It was Roberson’s first catch in a bowl game since his 11-yard touchdown catch in overtime that beat Arkansas State, 16-13, in the 2018 Arizona Bowl. This makeshift group of receivers struggled to get open all game long.
OFFENSIVE LINE: C
The offensive line gave up six sacks which is a bit high even for a porous front that gave up 38 sacks in the 12 regular season games. But the Pack was missing starter Jacob Gardner and backup Gray Davis, who are now members of the Colorado State Rams. Cox was sacked on 21 percent of his 29 passing plays (23 actual passes and six sacks).
The offensive front, though, did run block very well even after a season in which they basically watched Strong throw the ball over their heads. Take away the 28 yards lost on the six sacks and the ground game was impressive, picking up 149 yards on 25 carries, an average of six yards a carry.
DEFENSIVE LINE: D
Kam Toomer did team up with linebacker Lawson Hall for a sack on the last play of the first quarter. And the Pack did tackle two Western Michigan runs, each for a yard loss. But those two plays were on the Broncos’ final full drive of the game and against Western Michigan backups. This was not the defensive line’s finest hour as Western Michigan ran for 352 yards on 52 carries.
LINEBACKERS: D
We have to mention those 352 yards rushing on 52 mind-numbing runs by Western Michigan once again. Hall did have that half sack as the first quarter ended but that was the highlight for the Pack linebackers.
It must be noted that the Wolf Pack’s leading tackler, linebacker Daiyan Henley, missed the game because he transferred to Washington State to join former Pack defensive coordinator Brian Ward. So the linebackers did have some excuse for their struggles in Detroit. Trevor Price did all he could with 13 tackles as did Hall with seven. But Western Michigan also only tossed 14 passes the entire game because, well, they didn’t have to throw to beat the Pack.
SECONDARY: C
Western Michigan quarterback Kaleb Eleby only put the ball in the air 14 times. But it wasn’t because he feared the Pack secondary. Eleby completed eight of those 14 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Berdale Robins did pick off an Eleby pass but that was when the Western Michigan quarterback was simply throwing the ball up for grabs on the final play of the first half.
Eleby connected with Corey Crooms on a 74-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline for a 14-3 lead in the first quarter on Western Michigan’s first drive of the game. He later found Brett Borske down the middle for a 20-yard score and a 24-10 lead in the second quarter. He also competed a 21-yard pass to Skyy Moore to start another Broncos touchdown drive before the end of the first half. Eleby averaged 20 yards on each of his completions and 11.5 yards on his 14 attempts. Jordan Lee had nine tackles but many were after one of those long Western Michigan runs.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
When you give up a 100-yard touchdown on your first kickoff of the game, well, it’s not a good day for the special teams.
Sean Tyler’s 100-yard return five minutes into the game meant that the Pack’s only lead of the game (3-0) lasted all of 13 seconds. Brandon Talton did have a 32-yard field on the game’s opening drive and he made all three of his extra points. And Julian Diaz did average 49.2 yards in his six punts.
But that 100-yard kickoff return seemed to ruin the entire day and the Pack never really recovered.
COACHING: C
You have to feel for interim head coach Vai Taua, who is now 0-1 in his head coaching career. But this loss should go on Jay Norvell’s permanent record, not Taua’s.
Norvell, who took off for Colorado State earlier this month and took almost all of the Pack’s offensive coaches with him as well as nearly two dozen current Pack players and recruits, is the reason the Pack lost this game. The Pack didn’t lose this game because of the coaches in Detroit. After Norvell turned the end of this Pack season into a joke, the Pack was never going to win this game or even come close.
But the game plan also left a lot to be desired. Why were there just 18 carries combined by Taua and Lee? Was it because the Pack was down 31-10 at halftime and thought it had to throw to try to win? Really? The philosophy should have been only to try to keep the score respectable. Did the Pack really think it could win this game or even make it reasonably respectable with Cox, a backup quarterback, throwing the ball to a bunch of third, fourth and fifth-string receivers?
It was a silly game plan, if indeed it was a game plan at all. With no starting quarterback, wide receiver or tight end, as well as no offensive coordinator, the Pack should have just fed Taua and Lee the ball the entire game, no matter the score. Taua and Lee were, by far, the best Pack players on the field on offense. The offensive line couldn’t pass block to save its life but it proved it could run block on Monday. Taua and Lee should have had at least 20 carries each, more if they picked up some first downs.
OVERALL: D
It was the second worst Pack loss in a bowl game in school history, after only the 45-10 loss in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl to SMU. It is also the Pack’s worst loss overall since its 31-3 loss to Wyoming in the middle of the 2019 season. The 28-point margin of defeat is one point more than the Pack lost its four previous games this season combined. It was that one sided and ugly.
The offense played about as well as anyone could have expected, putting up 24 points. This one, after all, had Pack shutout written all over it after the mass exodus of players and coaches earlier this month. So, yes, Western Michigan’s defense should be embarrassed.
The Pack defense, though, should also be embarrassed. This was the one unit on the team that wasn’t gutted by transfers or NFL workouts. The Pack defense basically never stopped Western Michigan. The Broncos scored touchdowns on six of its nine full drives. The Pack did force a pair of Western Michigan punts on consecutive drives but that was after the Broncos had built a 38-10 lead and seemed bored. After those punts, though, the Broncos came back and scored two more touchdowns just for fun.
To make matters worse for the Pack defense former Pack running back Jaxson Kincaide ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The 52 points is the most the Pack has ever allowed in a bowl game. New head coach Ken Wilson has a lot of work to do in the next eight months.
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