Nevada beat writer gives Nole fans an idea of what to expect this fall at Doak

If you've seen Nevada run its signature Pistol offense, you know the Wolf Pack won't be pushovers on Sept. 14. We asked Chris Murray, who covers U.N. for the Reno Gazette-Journal, a few questions after the spring game last Saturday. [Note: Murray points out that in Nevada the Wolf Pack is two words, not one like the N.C. State Wolfpack.]

How is the Pistol offense evolving under new head coach Brian Polian?
Murray: The Pistol isn’t going to change too much after the transition from coach Chris Ault, who invented the offense, to Brian Polian. The main reason is Nick Rolovich, who was the team’s offensive coordinator last season and returns in the same position this year. Ault called almost all of the plays last season and now that will be Rolovich’s task. While Rolovich, the former record-breaking quarterback and offensive coordinator at Hawaii, is more of a pass-first guy by nature. But he said the Pistol will remain run-first, although the team returns its starting quarterback and all of its receivers, so Nevada will throw a little more often.

QB Cody Fajardo threw for 251 yards and two TDs. Is he every bit the QB Colin Kaepernick was at Nevada? 
Murray: Fajardo might be a more difficult quarterback to stop than Kaepernick, who really wasn’t a great passer until his senior season. Fajardo rushed for 1,121 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, so he’s plenty dangerous with his legs. He also passed for nearly 2,800 yards, 20 touchdowns and completed 67 percent of his passes. He can beat you in multiple ways, which makes it tough to stop him. Fajardo isn’t the same caliber athlete or pure leader that Kaepernick was but those aren’t necessarily knocks on him. Kaepernick is exceptional at both of those things; Fajardo is good at both.

Nevada was 95th in Total Defense last year. What has Polian done to improve the Wolfpack D?

Murray: Polian hired defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton in the offseason. Hazelton was the linebackers coach at Southern Cal last season after a successful run as the coordinator at North Dakota State, which won the FCS title in 2011 and 2012 (although Hazelton wasn’t on staff in 2012). Hazelton has implemented a Tampa 2 scheme, which isn’t what the team ran last season. Polian’s father, Bill, was an executive with the Colts when Tony Dungy ran the Tampa 2, so there’s good symbiosis there. Despite returning just five starters (including only one in the back seven), the Wolf Pack defense looked good in spring camp. The team’s strength is the front four and it adds a few players who could play immediately in the fall. The Wolf Pack defense won’t be great, but the program will probably take average this season giving how good its offense usually is.

Have Nevada coaches talked about dealing with the heat and intense humidity in Tallahassee? 
Murray: No. They haven’t spoken about that at all. It gets up to the high-90s in Reno during fall camp, so Nevada should be prepared for the heat (although it’s a dry heat and humidity isn’t a factor). Reno is also about 4,800 feet in elevation, so the air is thin and the team is in fine shape. Dropping down to sea level should help Nevada. If the Wolf Pack loses to Florida State it won’t be because of the heat and humidity. It will be because Florida State has better players.

Here's more about the Wolf Pack offense in this article by Chris Murray.