Go Big Friday Night Lights

[GoBigorGoHome]

Nevada + 6 1/2

40 Units

no word on whether brennan will play or not but i dont think it will matter. the hit he took will rattle even the best QB and to think that he will come out tonight and play like his old self is silly, hes going to be more cautious in the pocket and do whatever he can not to take a hit, like throw the ball errantly. i also think the pressure of breaking the TD record has taken a toll on him as well. nevada has settled in with their new QB and he has continued the pace left by graziano who got hurt early in the year. nevada has circled this date on their calender as they get a shot at the big team in the WAC on their home field, with one more winning qualifying them for a bowl game.

[akatdrake]

GL bud. i'll be making a smaller play on nevada later tonight - hoping the line moves toward 7/7.5

what are you thinking on the totals? i'm thinking the unders for the exact same reason as stated above...

[pmann]

Hawaii star quarterback Colt Brennan returned to practice on Wednesday.

Brennan suffered a concussion in last Saturday’s 37-30 victory over Fresno State. The concussion caused Brennan to miss two practices this week and raised speculation he could miss Friday’s tilt versus the Wolf Pack.

“If the game was today, I would say he would play,” Hawaii coach June Jones told reporters.

Brennan is 65-for-90 for more than 800 yards with seven touchdowns in two career meetings with the Wolf Pack. The senior also has more than 3,200 passing yards and 28 touchdowns against 12 interceptions this campaign overall.

“I’ve just got to hope that I continue to get better and feel good,” Brennan told reporters. “Hopefully Friday, I can get cleared. That's all I'm waiting for.”

Warriors shorthanded

Hawaii running back Kealoha Pilares is doubtful for Friday.

Hawaii is averaging 73.2 rushing yards per game, with Pilares averaging less than 40 yards. Pilares has three rushing touchdowns this season, while quarterback Brennan leads the Warriors with six.

“You know they're going to pass the ball,” Wolf Pack senior defensive back Damon Jenkins told the Sacramento Bee. “That's what makes this year a little like 2005. They're a little more predictable. Still tough to stop, but a little more one-dimensional.”

The Warriors have the second-ranked passing attack in the country, tallying more than 450 yards per contest. They have also scored 28 passing touchdowns this season and are averaging more than 50 points per contest.

“If we stick to our game plan and execute it like we did two years ago we can beat them,” Jenkins told reporters.

Wolf Pack on the attack

Everyone in the country is familiar with Hawaii’s potent aerial attack. Not many people, though, are aware of Nevada’s bruising ground assault.

“In any situation, any team you’re playing, they say the best defense is a good offense,” Wolf Pack center Dominic Green told the Reno Gazette-Journal. “That's where we try to pride ourselves on. Our main goal is time of possession the last four years, ever since Coach Ault and Coach K (offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis) came back. That's what any offense should try to do – keep the ball, keep your defense off the field and good things will happen.”

Wolf Pack running back Luke Lippincott leads the team with more than 1,200 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Lippincott is also averaging more than 115 rushing yards per contest. He has also surpassed the 100-yard plateau six times this season and eight times in his collegiate career.

“We've got to try to run the clock and keep the ball as long as we can and score once we get into the red zone,” Lippincott told reporters.

Nevada is averaging an impressive 230 rushing yards per contest. It is also the only school in the conference averaging more than five yards per carry.

Hawaii, though, can be stifling on defense as well. The Warriors have allowed a meager 110 rushing yards per showing.

Crunching the numbers

Nevada holds a narrow 6-5 lead in the all-time series against Hawaii after losing 41-34 last season.

The Warriors have never beaten Nevada in Reno. Nevada is also a stunning 5-1 against the spread (ATS) at Mackay Stadium against teams with winning records.

Since the Wolf Pack joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2001 they have rotated wins and losses with the Warriors.

The home team has won every contest. It is also 5-1 ATS in the last six contests between Hawaii and Nevada.

Nevada is in contention for a third straight bowl bid, though head coach Chris Ault isn’t thinking past Friday’s matchup with the conference-leading Warriors.

“We'd better not be thinking about a bowl, we have Hawaii first,” Ault told reporters.