WAC football observations
Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
So apparently there’s a fairly significant football game on Saturday.
Nevada has a chance to earn national respect when it plays Nebraska in the Wolf Pack’s toughest game since coach Chris Ault returned the program to respectability.
As such, the next few days will be devoted to everybody’s favorite event – the start of football season (who knows, I may even live blog the game from my bbq depending on the amount of alcohol present). In any event, here are three observations about the Western Athletic Conference.
1. Boise State is the pick to win the title, but the WAC championship really is wide open. Hawaii is a trendy pick to make a run at the Bowl Championship Series and the Broncos are coming off the best season in WAC history, but both teams are flawed. Hawaii can’t play defense and the Broncos are young. Five teams have legitimate shots at the championship. It’s hard to believe, but San Jose State isn’t a joke anymore, Fresno State is tremendously talented, and the Wolf Pack has the defense to do the job.
2. Cut all this Colt Brennan nonsense. Hawaii is overrated.
When have the Warrior not had a record-breaking quarterback?
Hint: it’s been awhile.
Brennan may be the best of coach June Jones’ students, but Hawaii never has problems scoring. Last year’s progress had a lot more to do with Jerry Glanville’s playmaking defense than it did with Brennan and the offense.
With Glanville gone, along with All-WAC players Ikaika Alama-Francis, Melila Purcell, and Leonard Peters, the Warriors are going to struggle on defense.
So yeah, they have the best quarterback and receiving corps. in the conference and are going to score about 600 points a game, but it’s hard to imagine the defense doing much to slow down efficient offenses.
If the Warriors have to play in the cold against a team that can grind down the clock and create a few big plays on defense, they’re going down.
3. Anybody who thinks the Wolf Pack won’t feel the pain of losing quarterback Jeff Rowe, running back Robert Hubbard and receiver Caleb Spencer is battier than a Brazilian soccer fan.
From an overall talent standpoint, this Wolf Pack team might be the best in program history. This group is going to be really good, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this year.
Nick Graziano and Colin Kaepernick are phenomenal passers, but they have nine collegiate completions between them (all by Graziano).
In the backfield, neither Brandon Fragger nor Luke Lippincot has proven they are consistent playmakers.
The receiving corps. is fast and big, but there’s no established go-to guy.
The offensive line actually has true tackles this season, and the depth is developing nicely, but the group is young and hasn’t played much together in a game setting.
So while there is talent, not to mention a ridiculous defense, there are just too many questions on offense to expect greatness.
This team has 10 or 11 win potential, but this years it’s going to be a lot closer to seven or eight.
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on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Football, Nevada Athletics.
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