Nevada football: Tyler Stewart named starting quarterback

Tyler Stewart has been named the starting quarterback for the Nevada Wolf Pack. The decision was told to Chris Murray of RGJ.com by head coach Brian Polian after a long quarterback battle from spring practices all the way through fall camp.

"I watched over 600 reps yesterday and last night and made my notes, came in this morning, discussed it with the offensive staff," Polian said of his decision to go with Stewart. "We reached a consensus and informed the quarterbacks and informed the team and now we move forward with Tyler Stewart at quarterback."

Stewart will be faced with the tall task of replacing legendary Wolf Pack quarterback Cody Fajardo, one of only two players in FBS history to throw for 9,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards. Fajardo was a four-year starter and led the Wolf Pack to a bowl in 3 of his 4 seasons under center.

Coming out of high school, Stewart first committed to San Jose State, but flipped to Nevada two weeks before NSD.

Throughout the competition, the two players remained locked in a close battle without either one being able to pull away. With either quarterback holding a clear advantage, Polian said the deciding factor was Stewart's experience, as both players were so even during camp.

Stewart is the only quarterback on the Wolf Pack roster with a pass attempt. Stewart started one game as a freshman in 2013 after injuries to both Cody Fajardo and his backup. Stewart played well, defeating Hawaii 31-9, and going 14-20 for 202 yard and 3 touchdowns. However, since then, Stewart has rarely seen the field, having thrown only two passes since.

While Polian originally stated that both Stewart and Fralick would play against UC Davis, the coach has now reversed on that position and has said that Stewart will play the entire season opener.

"The more I think about it, the more you want your quarterback to get into a rhythm and get used to each other," said Polian.

Stewart is more of a pocket passer than Fajardo, but he does have the ability to use his legs to get yards. We will see how the coaching staff uses Stewart as they take on UC Davis in their season opener on September 3, at 7pm PST.