KEEP AN EYE ON ’EM

Josh Catapano C/Jr./6-3/285 pounds

Catapano was catapulted into a starting role after All-WAC performer Dominic Green suffered a broken foot that will sideline him for at least two games and backup Kyle Robertson was dismissed from the team after taking a swing at his position coach. Facing Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh, Catapano could be the most important key to Nevada’s offense. 

Kyle Sammons  WR/Sr./5-11/195 pounds

Sammons missed last season because of a broken collarbone, so maybe Nebraska hasn’t seen film of him. He’ll be counted on to strengthen a receiving corps that is replacing last year’s top target, Caleb Spencer. Two years ago, Sammons caught 27 balls, so you can figure he’ll be a nice option for first-time starting quarterback Nick Graziano.

Matt Hines NG/Sr./6-1/285 pounds

They call him “Dump Truck,” and with the WAC preseason defensive player of the year, linebacker Ezra Butler, not playing Saturday because of a suspension, you can bet Hines will need to carry an even bigger load to keep players around and behind him free of traffic. How well Hines can congest Nebraska’s run game may be  the difference between things being close Saturday, or getting out of hand.

Quarterbacks: The Wolf Pack haven’t had a quarterback race recently because they’ve been able to watch Jeff Rowe run the ‘pistol’ offense about as well as coach Chris Ault could have hoped when he designed it three years ago. But Rowe is now with the Cincinnati Bengals and so redshirt sophomore Nick Graziano gets the first opportunity to prove that either Rowe was an ideal model or that the system can be made to fit anyone. Graziano, who won a close battle with redshirt freshman Colin Kaepernick, is reputed to have a slingshot arm. We’ll see how steady he is under fire. Regardless, Kaepernick is expected to get some snaps.

Running backs: Nevada coaches are praising how   junior Luke Lippincott has improved from last year, when the converted safety backed up Robert Hubbard and produced 456 rushing yards with a 4.9-yard average. Lippincott always had speed, but his coaches say it’s the improvement in his lateral quickness that will allow him to make a run at becoming the school’s fifth 1,000-yard rusher in the past seven seasons. Brandon Fragger, whose freshman season ended prematurely because of a knee injury, will play a supporting role.

Wide receivers: Nevada has all but one of its receivers back from last year, but the loss is a big one — three-year starter Caleb Spencer. Nevertheless, this group has a strong enough mix of burners, big bodies and possession-type players that if the offensive line can protect, Nebraska’s secondary will have its hands full. Pay close attention to the slot guys — Marko Mitchell and Mike McCoy. Between them, they had 62 receptions and 13 TDs last season. Mitchell is 6-foot-4,  and McCoy is the sure-handed, go-to guy in the red zone. He tied for the team lead with nine TDs in 2006. Nevada expects Arthur King to have a breakout junior season.

Offensive line: The loss of center Dominic Green to a broken foot is a big hit to this unit, which last season, because of injury and a couple of players who quit, consisted of five guards. That showed, too, as Nevada allowed 27 sacks (sixth-most in the nine-team WAC). The situation is better this season, but depth will be a major concern. Alonzo Durham is the only true tackle with experience. He was a reserve most of last season, but started in the MPC Computers Bowl and limited Miami’s standout defensive end, Calais Campbell, to a modest six tackles. Nevada might need to keep soft-handed tight end Adam Bishop in more to block.

Defensive line: Nose guard Matt Hines is one of those guys who doesn’t stand out in his uniform, but offensive linemen often find him impossible to budge. He was an All-WAC performer last year, and has experience beside him. Senior end Erics Clark became a starter last year and contributed 4½ tackles for loss. Mundrae Clifton, who was starting to come on as a sophomore before illness sidelined him over the second half of the season, has re-emerged on the other side. Nevada’s inexperience is evident in the fact that Jay Dixon, a senior who had three sacks a year ago, is listed No. 2 at both end positions, so these guys better be ready to play a lot of snaps. 

Linebackers: This figures to be where Nevada packs the biggest punch. But on Saturday, the Wolf Pack will be without their top playmaker, Ezra Butler. From his outside position last season, he made 71 tackles and a WAC-best 18 behind the line. Butler is serving a suspension, so fellow senior Nick Fuhr, who has returned from injury, will have to come up with a clutch performance. The Wolf Pack do have two other proven players — one on the inside (Josh Mauga) and one outside (Jeremy Engstrom). Mauga had 51 tackles last year, while Engstrom added 41. Nevada likes its depth here, and should expect to get an accurate reading Saturday. 

Defensive backs: A big emphasis in Nevada’s recruiting has been to upgrade the secondary, and in 2007 the Wolf Pack should find out what kind of strides they’ve made. Multi-year starters Joe Garcia and Nick Hawthorne graduated, and all four positions were up for grabs in fall camp. The corner spots were won by senior Paul Pratt (who made six starts last year) and Jonathon Amaya (who made seven starts at free safety). Devon Walker (four starts) will rotate with Pratt. Justin Jackson has taken over for Amaya, but has plenty of help from Mike Samples, a part-time starter in 2005 who redshirted last season. Uche Anyanwu (6-4, 220) is an imposing strong safety.

Special teams: Junior kicker Brett Jaekle should enter this season with the momentum of having kicked a career-best four field goals (including a career-long 44-yarder) in the Wolf Pack’s bowl game against Miami. He had just 11 attempts all season, but made eight. Jaekle also handles  kickoffs. Zacary Whited began last year as the punter, but lost the job to Thomas Barcia. Whited (37.4-yard average) will start out No. 1 against this year, but Barcia’s there again if Whited falters. Dwayne Sanders will return kickoffs after leading the WAC with a 25.0-yard average. Receiver Arthur King will give it a go returning punts.

Scouting report

Nevada entered its seventh game of the 2006 season having lost a 41-34 heartbreaker at Hawaii to have a three-game win streak snapped. The Wolf Pack returned from that disappointing road trip to churn out a 23-7 victory against San Jose State.

The game represented the only one all season in which Jeff Rowe, who became a fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft, did not play. But Travis Moore subbed admirably by steering Nevada to 408 yards of offense in a performance that started a five-game win streak.

The outcome left San Jose State coach Dick Tomey flabbergasted:

“They were tougher, smarter and more disciplined.  We were thoroughly outcoached and outplayed.  We got taught a lesson by a much better team. The only thing we did well was punt.

“We couldn’t protect the passer.  None of us had a good game, including the head coach.

“Good teams make you do things you don’t normally do. We had way too many penalties and too many turnovers. Nevada is just better than we are, they kicked our butts up front and on defense.”