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San Jose St.-Nevada Preview

Oct 5, 2010 - 2:55 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Editor

San Jose State (1-4) at Nevada (5-0), 10:30 p.m. EDT

There may be only one major obstacle left for Nevada as it chases a Western Athletic Conference championship, and it certainly won't come during the league opener.

The No. 21 Wolf Pack return to Reno for a Saturday night matchup with lowly San Jose State, which hasn't shown much improvement since an embarrassing loss to Nevada last year.

A meeting with No. 4 Boise State on Nov. 26 is circled on Nevada's calendar, and coach Chris Ault's biggest challenge before then may be keeping his team focused.

"We're undefeated," Ault said, "but we can't rest on our laurels."

That wasn't a problem last Saturday against UNLV. Playing as a ranked team for the first time since 1948, the Wolf Pack (5-0) never trailed in a 44-26 road victory.

With 188 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, running back Vai Taua had the standout performance for Nevada's efficient pistol offense, which ranks fifth nationally in rushing and fourth in points per game.

"It wasn't just me. The (offensive) line, the offensive coaches and stuff, they know what they're doing," Taua said. "It's a good feeling. We've got a lot of momentum right now."

Nevada's positive vibes are no surprise considering the team is off to its best start since 1991, its final season in Division I-AA.

The Wolf Pack have won each of their games by at least two touchdowns, but Ault still had reason for concern after his team turned the ball over three times last weekend. Nevada also struggled covering kickoffs, allowing two returns of more than 50 yards.

"That's stuff you can't do. I'm disappointed with that part of the game," Ault said. "I've told everybody this that will listen: We're not a great football team. We're a good team. We get better every week, but we've got to continue to get better on both sides of the ball."

It would hard to imagine a better performance than Nevada's showing last year against San Jose State. The Wolf Pack tied an NCAA record with four 100-yard rushers, outgaining the Spartans 517-30 on the ground in a 62-7 road win Nov. 8.

Taua and quarterback Colin Kaepernick led the way in that game, with Kaepernick accounting for 237 yards and four touchdowns. The senior has remained a major threat through the air and on the ground this year, ranking second in the WAC to Taua in rushing in addition to his 1,048 passing yards.

Kaepernick will attempt to lead Nevada to an eighth win in its last nine meetings with San Jose State, and an 11th consecutive victory against WAC opponents other than Boise State. The Wolf Pack have won eight straight in Reno.

The Spartans (1-4) have lost 10 consecutive road games, three coming against ranked opponents this year. Alabama, Wisconsin and Utah beat San Jose State by an average of 37.0 points, and things won't get easier next week as the Spartans face Boise State.

After tying New Mexico State for last place in the WAC in 2009, San Jose State was picked to finish in the cellar again, and the team did little to prove that prediction wrong during its non-conference schedule. The Spartans rank last in FBS in total offense.

While they beat Southern Utah 16-11 on Sept. 18, the Spartans blew a 13-0 halftime lead in a 14-13 home loss to FCS foe UC Davis last Saturday.

"We showed sparks of things, but shot ourselves in the foot a few times," coach Mike MacIntyre said. "We just have to reach down and keep working."

It's unclear who will start at quarterback for San Jose State after senior Jordan La Secla left last weekend's game with an injury. Junior Matt Faulker filled in, going 5 of 7 for 63 yards and a touchdown.