Nevada College Football Preview

There is a huge battle going on in Reno that likely won't be decided until late September. Incumbent QB Colin Kaepernick is competing with Nick Graziano for starting duties. Graziano continued to nurse a broken foot that cost him the majority of last season. This cleared the way for Kaepernick to throw for 2,175 yards, 19 TDs with only three interceptions while earning him WAC Freshman of the Year honors. But Graziano is no slouch. Whoever wrestles away the job has a wealth of talent surrounding him. The conference's top rusher Luke Lippincott is back for his senior year and senior receivers Mike McCoy and Marko Mitchell offer some serious targets. Four starting linemen return to a front that helped the Wolf Pack lead the WAC in rushing. The opposite is true for the defense where only four starters return. First year coordinator Nigel Burton will switch to a 4-3 alignment that mostly has to do with the fact all three LBs are gone as are three starters from the secondary. The nation's 95th ranked scoring defense of a year ago certainly has some major concerns. Head coach Chris Ault enters his 24th season where he hopes to continue his bowl invitation streak to four. As in the past, the offense will have to outscore the opponent and with so much experience on this side of the ball that may not be a problem.