California at Nevada
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
A battle of unbeatens takes place Friday night when the California Bears visit the Nevada Wolf Pack. Cal has opened 2-0 by beating UC Davis 52-3 and defeating Colorado 52-7. Nevada is also 2-0, taking care of Eastern Washington 49-24 before throttling Colorado State 51-6 last week. So both teams haven’t had any trouble thus far, but according to the odds this is expected to be a tight one.
The Bears are sure to be tested as they hit the road for the first time Friday. Their win over Colorado was certainly by a bigger margin than expected, but the Buffaloes are down again this season. New defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast is making his presence felt already. This Bears defense is much more aggressive than in year’s past. Cal sacked Colorado QB Tyler Hansen six times, forced five turnovers and turned two of those turnovers into defensive touchdowns.
Outside linebacker Jarred Price is wreaking the most havoc, forcing a fumble on a sack of Hansen that led to one score. He also hit Hansen mid-throw which forced him to throw a duck that was intercepted by Bryant Nnabuife. And it’s not like the offense is lacking playmakers, either. Cal has outscored their first two opponents 104-10. QB Kevin Riley has thrown for an average of 227.5 PYPG and 7 touchdowns to no interceptions thus far. His favorite target has been Keenan Allen, who has 10 catches for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. Marvin Jones and RB Shane Vereen also have 2 touchdown receptions.
The Bears will have their hands full with one of the most explosive offenses in the country over the last few years. Nevada has scored 13 touchdowns already and the Wolf Pack have averaged 592 yards of total offense through two games. They led the land in rushing last year, but this is a very balanced attack. Nevada is throwing for 297 yards per game and rushing for 295 per contest thus far. Carrying the load offensively has been QB Colin Kaepernick, who can do it all. He is throwing for 273.5 yards per game with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for 110.5 yards per game with 4 scores on the ground. Virgil Green has been his go-to, catching 10 balls for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The defense has been the biggest question mark over the last few years for this team, but they seemed to answer some questions in last Saturday’s 51-6 victory over Colorado State. The six points allowed was their best effort since shutting out Louisiana Tech back in 2006. The stop unit recorded five sacks, forced two fumbles, got an interception and had eight tackles for loss. The Rams are down this year, and Nevada did allow 24 points to Eastern Washington, so there are still plenty of concerns on this side of the ball.
One Response to “California at Nevada”
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The line opened at -2.5 Cal but has obviously moved a bit. I would not give away more than a field goal here, in fact I would probably stay away from this game completely.
Classic trap game for Cal, hungry UNR team, a national TV audience, ranked opponent invading their home turf, explosive offense, rabid fans, a chance to prove they belong in the national conversation. This one could go either way.