Pack, Spartans ready for Mountain West opener

A look ahead to the Nevada Wolf Pack football game on Saturday against the San Jose State Spartans in San Jose, Calif.:

KICKOFF: 4:30 p.m. at CEFCU Stadium.

RECORDS: Nevada (2-3, 0-0); San Jose State (3-1, 1-0).

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN: The game can be seen on TruTV and heard on 105.7 FM.

POINT SPREAD: San Jose State favored by 6.5 points.

AT STAKE: This is the Mountain West opener for Nevada and first-year head coach Jeff Choate. This game also might turn out to be pivotal for both teams' bowl chances this season.

THE RIVALRY: Nevada leads, 23-11-2, though San Jose State has won two (35-28 in San Jose in 2022 and 30-20 in Las Vegas in 2020) of the last three. The two teams played 10 times (4-4-2 tie) from 1899 through 1948 and did not play again until both schools were in the Big West Conference in 1992. The Pack is 19-7 against San Jose State since 1992, winning 16 of 20 games since 2002. Nevada has opened its Mountain West schedule against San Jose State just once before, a 21-10 victory at San Jose State in 2014.

MOST IMPORTANT MATCHUP: A Wolf Pack-Spartans game has rarely had championship implications. But a trip to the Mountain West championship game was on the line in 2020. Nevada was 6-1 and San Jose State was 5-0 heading into the final regular season game of the COVID-affected 2020 season. The game was played at Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium because that was San Jose State's home base during 2020 (games were not allowed at San Jose State because of local COVID restrictions). The Wolf Pack led 20-7 at halftime before San Jose State scored the final 23 points, led by Shamar Garrett's 98-yard touchdown on the second half kickoff and Tyler Nevens' 69-yard scoring run at the end of the third quarter. A fumble by Nevada's Toa Taua near the goal line in the fourth quarter helped pave the way for the Spartans' victory.

THE HEAD COACHES: Nevada's Jeff Choate is 2-3 in his first season. San Jose State's Ken Niumatalolo is 3-1 and also in his first season at his current school. Niumatalolo was 109-83 in 15 seasons (2008-22) as Navy's head coach. He had just one losing season (5-7 in 2011) from 2008 through 2017 but finished with a losing record in four of his last five years. Niumatalolo was also UNLV's tight ends and special teams coach from 1999-2001 under head coach John Robinson.

BRINGING HAWAII TO SAN JOSE: Niumatalolo, who was born in Hawaii, played quarterback at Hawaii from 1991-94 and has always had a clear connection to his alma mater in his head coaching career. Niumataolo's Navy teams ran the run-based triple option offense under offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper, a Hawaii quarterback like Niumatalolo from 1991-94. Now that Niumatalolo is running a more pass-oriented offense at San Jose State his offensive coordinator is former Hawaii wide receiver (1998-2001) Craig Stutzmann. Stutzmann was the offensive coordinator at Texas State last year, helping the Bobcats beat the Wolf Pack, 35-24, in San Marcos, Texas. Stutzmann, who played in head coach June Jones' run-and-shoot offense at Hawaii, has labeled San Jose State's offense the "Spread and Shred." Stutzmann's brother Billy Ray Stutzmann, a Hawaii wide receiver from 2009-13, is now San Jose State's senior offensive analyst. John Estes, a former Hawaii offensive lineman (2006-09), is now San Jose State's offensive line coach.

FROM NEVADA TO SAN JOSE: Former Nevada (2022-23) defensive line coach Al Lapuaho now has the same role with San Jose State. Lapuaho coached defensive linemen Dom Peterson, Dion Washington, James Hansen, Ike Nnakenyi, Thomas Witte, Dwight Togiola and others at Nevada. His Spartans' defensive line so far is led by Quincy Likio (16 tackles, one sack), Soane Toia (16 tackles), Gafa Faga (12 tackles, one sack), Dejon Roney (10 tackles) and Dylan Hampsten (8 tackles, one sack).

WHEN SAN JOSE STATE HAS THE BALL: The Spartans' offense is averaging 35.5 points and 401.8 yards a game. Quarterback Emmett Brown, who played at Washington State (one game) last year, is 98-of-158 for 1,290 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. Running back Floyd Chalk has 216 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries. Wide receiver Nick Nash, a former quarterback, leads the nation with 50 catches and eight touchdowns. He is fourth in the nation with 637 yards. Former Nevada wide receiver Justin Lockhart has 15 catches for 266 yards and two scores.

WHEN NEVADA HAS THE BALL: The Wolf Pack is averaging 23.6 points and 379 yards a game. Quarterback Brendon Lewis is 85-of-125 for 868 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Lewis' top targets are Cortez Braham (22 catches, 254 yards, two touchdowns) and Jaden Smith (21-318-1). Wide receiver Marcus Bellon has 16 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Savion Red (54 carries, 394 yards, three touchdowns) and Patrick Garwo (36-173-5) lead the Nevada ground game, along with Lewis (66-272-1). Red's 7.3 average carry is second in the Mountain West and seventh in the nation.

PACK OFFENSE IS MELTING POT OF TALENT: Garwo spent five seasons at Boston College, Lewis was at Colorado from 2020-22, Red was at Texas the last two years, Braham was at West Virginia the last two years while Smith played at Montana State in 2018-21 and Tarleton State in 2022 and 2023 and Bellon played the last two years at UTEP.

PACK CHEWING UP CLOCK: The Wolf Pack offense, which likes to run the ball, leads the Mountain West and is 11th in the nation in time of possession at 33:25 this year. San Jose State, which likes to throw the ball, is ninth in the Mountain West and 106th in the nation at 27:50. The Wolf Pack's time of possession is boosted by a 41-of-74 success rate on third down (55.4 percent), which is second-best in the Mountain West and tied for fifth in the nation.

The Pack's time of possession last year was 30:16 and 28:29 in 2022 and is its best since 2011 (34:32).

DISCIPLINE MIGHT BE KEY: The Wolf Pack has struggled with penalties all season long. The Pack has 45 infractions this season for 444 yards. Only four teams in the nation have more penalties than the Wolf Pack and just one (New Mexico at 505 yards on 55 penalties) has been penalized more yards.

San Jose State, on the other hand, has been called for just 20 penalties for 172 yards in losses this year. Just 16 teams have fewer penalties in the nation and just 20 have been penalized for fewer yards.