What’s up, everyone? The college football offseason still churning through changes via the portal, commits arriving, conferences realigning, and new coaches adjusting to their situations in a new location. That would also include spring practices and Spring Games for most or all schools across the nation.

Reno had theirs this past weekend at Mackay Stadium with fans set up at the west side of the field. It wasn’t packed, but there were plenty including students, alumni, cheerleaders, and the band taking part as spectators arrived to see what new football coach Jeff Choate had planned for the upcoming season. This season, the team plans to play Multiple formations on offense and 4-2-5 on defense. It’s a nice change to some degree, but there are questions that must be addressed before their first game against SMU.

OVERVIEW OF LAST SEASON

Last season was a wash. Their schedule was light to maybe reel off more than two wins, but they finished with two wins again due to continued lack of offensive consistency. Former coach Kevin Wilson was unfortunately responsible for it despite coming into a bad situation after coach Jay Norvell left and took a quarter of the roster with him, and the rest either graduated or entered the transfer portal. I wasn’t optimistic about the Wolfpack’s success for those two seasons because I didn’t believe a quarterback could replicate the success that Carson Strong was able to. Watching two games in person in 2022 and 2023 summed up everything about them recently.

After averaging 20 to 30 points per game for over a decade, they had little to no production with a disappointing 18 points per game in the last two seasons. The offensive line was the reason why the offense was bad lately. It led to poor production in the run game and the quarterbacks getting sacked a lot. The quarterback production was so bad that they haven’t recorded a double-digit passing touchdown by one player for the first time in program history since the program’s stats were officially recorded in 1992.

That also led to the defense’s demise. While they gave the team opportunities by forcing turnovers and stops from time-to-time, they couldn’t stop the run. That was their Achilles heel last season due to lack of production up front. After defensive lineman Dom Peterson was gone, no one stepped up to disrupt the offensive line and/or help get home to the opponents’ backfield. That forced the linebackers and defensive backs to add more stats in tackles and hope they can force stops and turnovers. Outside of their 10 losses where they allowed 27 points or more last season, they managed to win their only two games by allowing 24 points or less. One of those wins was against San Diego State, where they allowed no points while scoring just six, which also gave them their first win of the season.

QUESTIONS FOR THE OFFSEASON

The offense had plenty of questions: Who will be THE quarterback in 2024? Can the offensive line finally improve after allowing 120 sacks in three seasons and causing the run game plenty of heartache? Who will break out as pass catchers, and will the run game go through one player or a “run-by-committee” setup?

The quarterback room is deep, but questions will be answered likely during fall practices. I’ll explain the ones that stood out to me in the spring game soon. The quarterbacks competing were Brenden Lewis, AJ Bianco, Chubba Purdy, Anthony Grigsby Jr., Anthony Wolter, Baylor Horning, and Jax Leatherwood. The offensive line returns four starters led by center Andrew Madrigal, including two backups and three transfers. One of those transfers played against Nevada last season (Kansas lineman Spencer Lovell). The run game could go deep with returns of Sean Dollars and Cross Patton, along with Boston College transfer Patrick Garwo III. The receiver and tight end room will have plenty to figure out. By assumption, Dalevon Campbell will be one of the starters, but who’s alongside him? Dariyan Wiley, Marshaun Brown, Nate Burleson II (son of former Nevada and NFL receiver, Nate Burleson), tight end Keleki Latu, and many more will compete for playing time.

The linebacker core will be the strength again with the returning starters in Drue Watts, Jackson LaDuke, Marcel Walker-Burgess, and Tongiaki Mateialona leading the defense. However, the defensive line and secondary could be an issue after losing key players to the transfer portal and graduation. What’s worse is there’s no idea who will replace them. Defensive tackle Thomas Witte may set the tone, but he needs help from the rest of the front. Defensive linemen Henry Ikahihifo and Wisconsin transfer edge rusher Kaden Johnson could be potential standouts. The secondary is likely back to square one after returners and one-and-done transfers were gone after one season as starters. However, transfers like Kitan Crawford (Texas), Keyshawn Cobb (West Virginia), and Nate Floyd (Texas Tech) may clear up those issues. These key transfers came from Big 12 schools and likely followed Jeff Choate (former Texas defensive coordinator) to help create a new culture on defense. If he can get the secondary on point together, that may be the position that plays above their expectations this season.

SILVER VS. BLUE SPRING GAME TAKEAWAY

The game had some moments, but I will say that they ran the ball a lot whether it was the running backs or quarterbacks. Sean Dollars, Cross Patton, and Dominick Ball stood out as the carriers. As for the seven quarterbacks I mentioned above, the main three (Chubba Purdy, Brenden Lewis, and AJ Bianco) received the most reps with three possessions while Grigsby and Leatherwood had two, and Horning and Wolters had one. Let’s focus on the three that had the most reps.

#2 Brenden Lewis led the first possession, but his first two weren’t impressive, which could’ve easily put his starting job at risk. He ran plenty but failed to complete the first two passes. What kept him alive was his last possession at the start of the second half. He finally drove the field with more pass completions that eventually led to a passing touchdown.

#10 AJ Bianco had the second possession and immediately drove the length of the field with his legs and a couple of pass completions to get within field goal range. His second possession ended in a three-and-out. On his third possession, he drove the length of the field and ended his drive with a touchdown pass. He relied on the running back to drive the field on that possession, while Bianco completed a couple of key passes to get the team in scoring position.

#3 Chubba Purdy debuted on his third team of his career with some impressive throws. Unfortunately, all of his possessions ended in punts and a failed fourth down play. But his throws and decision making could put him in position to take Brenden Lewis’s starting job this season.

The game continued into the Redzone Challenge where the offense and defense competed to see who scores 18 points first. Unfortunately, the game concluded a couple of minutes in after running back Sean Dollars sustained what looked to be a head/neck injury. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Overall, the offense is still a work in progress. The offensive line looked better in the run game, but they must work on pushing the opposing line to give runners open room to run. It’s possible that Nevada may utilize plenty of running backs until they figure out their legit number one back. Sean Dollars was potentially the guy, but his injury may lead to the “run-by-committee” strategy again. Just expect Nevada to run the ball more often this season. In the passing game, the tight ends and running backs had the most receptions combined while receivers had a few big play catches, which could go either way if the situation happens to rise during a live game. However, they had a few dropped catches. As for the quarterbacks, it’s likely that Purdy, Lewis, and Bianco compete for the starting position. Fans may favor Purdy to be the starter, but Lewis has the experience to hold on to his spot unless something changes during summer and fall practices. Bianco should be the quarterback to watch. He’s done some good things that could make him standout amongst the three.

CONCLUSION

I have no idea what Jeff Choate will bring to the table for Nevada, but his success from Montana State as a head coach and Texas as a defensive coordinator could bring optimism to the program. Also, let’s see what happens with the current roster competing for playing time. Not everyone will stay, and some might likely transfer out if they don’t make the spot they want or make the cut on the roster. I’m not expecting anything good, but at least three wins in 2024 with some offensive improvement and better D-Line and secondary play would give me plenty of optimism for the future.