Nevada Dominates LA Tech As Ault Notches 200 Wins

The 'little general" took another step toward college football immortality last night as the Nevada Wolf Pack continued its winning ways in Reno against a very respectable LA Tech team. Coach Chris Ault has now won 200 games at Nevada. Much maligned by some in Reno who fail to appreciate what he has accomplished, Ault has taken Nevada from small school 1AA obscurity to the brink of being ranked. It won't be long before the Wolf Pack cracks the top 25 for the first time, possibly next season. Ault has given his entire life to the University of Nevada since playing there as a QB in the late 1960's. He has been coach for much of that time save for a few years as the A.D. As a student there myself in the 1970's, I never dreamed I see the day when Nevada would play in front of national audiences against the likes of Notre Dame, Missouri, Texas Tech and Nebraska. True, they have lost all those high profile games. But, my oh my how they have improved doing so. Last weeks rout of UNLV and last night's sound thumping of LA Tech showed the genius of Ault's get your teeth kicked in early strategy.

The hard truth is Nevada hasn't suddenly "found" its offense. They are simply playing more comparable teams. By "playing up" against the big boys early on, the Wolf Pack has seen what the elite teams have. They know they can move the ball against the likes of Notre Dame and hang with Mizzou in a very close game.  UNLV, LA Tech and the WAC don't scare them one bit and it  shows. They are playing loose, relaxed and "in the zone". Watch out WAC.

On both offense and defense, the Wolf Pack is clicking. Kaepernick is the most exciting QB in college football. He has more weapons than the US Army. When was the last time you saw a QB run 67 yards for TD? With 3 other potent backs, Lippincott, Taua and now Ball, Nevada has as much depth at RB as USC.

But then Nevada has always had potent offenses. Scoring 101 points against Boise State in just the last two games proves that. It's the D that has hurt them. With a little bit more D, look out, this team will crack the top 25 in the near future.  I see that as change we can believe in! It's the smoke from Moch and the Ba-speed of Kevin Basped that are wreaking havoc. Mo Harvey, James Michael Johnson, Isaiah Frey, Mike Bethea and Jonathan Amaya and the rest of the D are beginning to dominate. Add the "Smoke from Moch" to the "Taua of Powa", well you get the point. I won't be rhiming anything about Mike Ball.

Barring a key injury or some other breakdown, Nevada could march through the WAC. The real showdown will come on the Boise blue November 27 when Nevada just may knock the stuffing out of another turkey. They almost had the Broncos in 2007 in the 69-67 4 OT thriller and dominated them in the second half of their last meeting, outscoring the Broncos 31-17, to lose a 1 score game. 

In the final analysis, it all gets back to the "little general" who has quietly guided the Wolf Pack all these years. To him, 200 wins isn't important right now. He could have eclipsed that mark long ago had he actively avoided quality non-conference teams like some in WAC. But he would rather sacrifice his own personal stats and a "run the table" win - loss record to get the Wolf Pack positioned for the future as a top 25 team. That future is just around the corner. As for Ault, he will one day be remembered as one of the greatest college football coaches in history.

Michael A. Patmas, MD