Air Force fullback Terrence Gist runs against Army earlier this month in West Point, N.Y.
Rich Schultz/AP
A look ahead to the Nevada Wolf Pack football game on Saturday against the Air Force Falcons at Mackay Stadium:
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m., at Mackay Stadium.
RECORDS: Nevada (3-8, 0-5); Air Force (3-7, 1-4).
THE SPREAD: Nevada favored by 3.5 points; the total is 44.5.
HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN: The game can be seen on FS1 and heard on 105.7 FM.
AT STAKE FOR NEVADA: The Wolf Pack is still in search of its first Mountain West victory this season. The Pack has gone 3-21 in Mountain West games dating back to its final three league games in 2021. The Wolf Pack is just 4-15 in its last 19 home games at Mackay Stadium, a streak that began with a 41-39 triple-overtime loss to Air Force in the final home game of 2021.
AT STAKE FOR AIR FORCE: The Falcons will bring a two-game winning streak to Mackay Stadium. It is their first winning streak since winning the first eight games last season. Air Force went 2-11 between winning streaks.
THE HEAD COACHES: Jeff Choate (54 years old) is 3-8 and in his first season at Nevada. The 58-year-old Troy Calhoun is 133-89 and in his 18th season as Air Force's head coach. The two head coaches second to Calhoun in terms of seasons at their current Mountain West schools are Timmy Chang of Hawaii and Jay Norvell of Colorado State, both in their third seasons. Calhoun's 18 seasons at Air Force are more than the other 11 coaches in the Mountain West have combined (17) at their current schools.
AIR FORCE STABILITY: Air Force has had just two head coaches (Fisher DeBerry and Calhoun) since the start of the 1984 season. Nevada, by comparison, has had five head coaches (Chris Ault, Brian Polian, Jay Norvell, Ken Wilson, Choate) over the last 13 years. Air Force has had just seven head coaches since starting its program in 1955. Former Wolf Pack head coach Buck Shaw (1925-28) went 9-8-2 as Air Force's head coach in 1956 and 1957. Robert Whitlow was Air Force's first head coach in 1955 when the program played only freshman teams. Bill Parcells (3-8 in 1978) is only other head coach other than Whitlow to last one season at Air Force. Ben Martin was 96-103-9 from 1958-77, Ken Hatfield was 26-32-1 from 1979-83 and DeBerry went 169-103-1 from 1984 to 2006 before Calhoun took over.
THE RIVALRY: Air Force is 5-2 against Nevada in a rivalry that began in 2012 when the Wolf Pack joined the Mountain West. Air Force has won the last two games, 48-20 in 2022 in Colorado and 41-39 in 2021 in Reno. The only Wolf Pack victories have been in 2018 (28-25 in Colorado) and 2013 (45-42 in Reno). The Pack is 1-3 in Colorado against Air Force and 1-2 in Reno.
STOPPING THE TRIPLE OPTION: The Wolf Pack, like most teams, has struggled to control Air Force's run-based triple-option offense. Air Force ran the ball 75 times for 461 yards in a 48-20 win over Nevada the last time the two teams met in 2022, controlling the ball for nearly 44 minutes. The Falcons ran 82 times for 461 yards in a 48-31 win over the Pack in 2012 to start the rivalry. The Falcons had 342 yards on 65 carries in a 45-38 win in 2014, 550 yards and six touchdowns on 91 carries in a 45-42 win in 2017 and 476 yards and five scores on 83 carries in a 41-39 win in 2021.
THE LAST PACK WIN: The last time the Pack beat Air Force was 28-25 in 2018 in Colorado. Ty Gangi threw for three touchdowns, 40 and 23 yards to Elijah Cooks and 29 yards to McLane Mannix. The Pack led 28-10 in the third quarter and had to hang on for the victory. The Wolf Pack actually outgained the Falcons on the ground in the 2018 game, 177-154.
WHEN AIR FORCE HAS THE BALL: Quarterback Quentin Hayes is just 24-of-39 for 379 yards and two touchdowns through the air this season. The Falcons are 60-of-133 for 949 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions when throwing the ball all season. Dylan Carson leads the Falcons on the ground with 370 yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries. Hayes has run the ball 96 times for 360 yards and five touchdowns. The Falcons have run 554 times for 2,094 yards and 42 touchdowns. Air Force is 14th in the nation in rushing at 209.4 yards a game. Three Mountain West teams (Boise State at 258.7 yards a game, UNLV at 249.1 and New Mexico at 248.9) are ahead of the Falcons. Air Force is averaging just 17 points a game and has scored seven or fewer points in a game four times.
WHEN NEVADA HAS THE BALL: Quarterback Brendon Lewis is 162-of-240 for 1,730 yards and 12 touchdowns and also leads the team in rushing with 692 yards and eight touchdowns. Lewis' 1,730 passing yards and 12 touchdowns are the most for a Nevada quarterback since Carson Strong passed for 4,175 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2021. Savion Red, who has carried the ball just 13 times for 27 yards over the last three games because of an injury, has 676 yards and eight touchdowns. Jaden Smith (49-687-5), Cortez Braham (47-545-2) and Marcus Bellon (32-424-4) are Lewis' favorite targets. The Wolf Pack is averaging 24.3 points a game.
SENIOR NIGHT: The Wolf Pack, as is the custom in the final home game of the season, will honor its departing seniors on Saturday. The Pack has lost its last three Senior Night games (42-6 to Wyoming last year, 41-14 to Fresno State in 2022 and 41-39 to Air Force in 2021). The last Pack win on Senior Night was 37-26 over Fresno State when the official crowd count was just 50 because of COVID-19 restrictions. The Pack also lost on Senior Night in 2019 to UNLV, 33-30. The last Pack win on Senior Night with a somewhat normal crowd in attendance was 49-10 over Colorado State in 2018 in front of 13,755.