After a 3-0 start Nevada Wolf Pack is going to Provo, Utah to do some Cougar hunting, and I don't mean older women. The Brigham Young Cougars are off to a slow 1-2 start and is hated by the remaining MWC members because of the independence mess they started a month ago. Nevada on the other hand is truly grateful for BYU's independence because it gave us the invite to MWC and let us out of the sinking WAC ship. But the new MWC needs to be united so we will try to run over BYU the best we can.
Nevada's Offense
Nevada's pistol offense off to a fast start and is basically one of the most scariest offense as a defense to play against. QB Colin Kaepernick has started a season on fire and has constantly tore over aggressive defenses to pieces. Hes completed 10-15 passes for 181 yards for 2 TDs against Cal last week. He also ran for 148 yards for 3 TDs. RB Vai Taua had 25 carries for 151 yards for 1 TD. Last week Nevada's offensive line manhandled Cal's defensive line most of the game allowing Kaepernick and Taua to run all over them.
Nevada's Defense
The defense did surprisingly good last week against Cal. Sacked Kevin Riley twice and intercepted 3 of his passes which one was returned for a touchdown. Nevada gave up 502 total yards to Cal but most of that came from garbage time after Nevada sealed the game away in the 2nd half. Nevada still has a miss tackle problem as they allowed RB Shane Vereen two 50+ runs for 2 TDs. SS Corbin Louks is traveling to Provo but most likely wont see much playing time.
BYU's Offense
BYU's quarterback controversy is finally over as QB Riley Nelson is out for the season with a shoulder injury. True freshman QB Jake Heaps will take over for the offense. So far this season BYU havent found any rhythm for their offense to get in. They got a big win over Washington Huskies but that seems no longer as a big win because the Huskies are having a tough season as well. Last week Heaps passed for 15 completions for 31 attempts for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. RB JJ Di Luigi was one of the few bright spots for BYU last week as he ran for 18 carries for 93 yards
BYU's Defense
This may be the key to game for BYU. BYU run defense has been horrible as both Air Force and Florida State ran all over them. Last week against Florida State, BYU gave up 278 rushing yards. They hang in tough during the 1st Half but got torn to pieces during the 2nd half which Nevada is a huge 2nd half team.
Key's to the game for Nevada
DO NOT GET COCKY! Nevada has been known to get cocky and play like they're a FCS school especially on the road. Kaepernick needs to be deceptive like he was during the Cal game. He needs to calm and read the defenses like a book. Do not commit stupid penalties to kill drives. DE Dontay Moch needs to get in the back field constantly and be a terror to Heaps and force him to make mistakes. A couple of early sacks should do the job. Also no penalties to keep BYU's offensive drives alive. Nevada will need to silence the BYU crowd of 60,000 early in the game and keep them quite.
Keys to the game for BYU
Do not get fooled by the Pistol Veer. Containing Kaepernick is the key to stopping the run game. They need to be very very disciplined and dont bite on the fakes. If they do it will either end up on a big run or a big pass. Pray that Nevada comes being really cocky and screws up on every thing. Like I stated above they main key to this game is going to be the defense. One thing BYU got going for them in this game is the 60,000 screaming fans backing them up.
Best Case Scenario
Kaepernick has another big game as he constantly cause the linebackers and Safeties to bite on almost everything. RB Vai Taua will keep running through the middle until BYU cries uncle. The Defense doesn't miss many tackles and don't give up on the big runs. Moch and front line constantly pressures Heaps into making mistakes. Nevada will gain more hype and the nation backing them up on beating Boise in November.
Worse Case Scenario
Its DaJeVu all over again. Nevada comes in cocky and screws up on the road big time. All the national hype Nevada got last week goes up in flames and Boise SOS takes another hit. TCU will be happy that Boise took another hit and BYU SOS goes back up. BYU defense is able to contain Kaepernick and for Nevada to commit many turnovers. BYU pass offense has a field day with Nevada's secondary and the offensive line gives Heaps all day to throw the ball.
My Prediction
Kaepernick will have another big day and BYU can't hold anything. Vai Taua will keep running through the middle and by the 4th Quarter BYU will be giving up constant big plays. DE Dontay Moch will constantly be in the back field sacking and hitting Heaps as he throws. BYU crowd will be taken out of the game early and wont be able to get back into it