Wolf Pack grades: Offense does little to nothing in loss at Washington State

PULLMAN, Wash. – Grades from Nevada’s 45-7 loss to Washington State on Saturday.

Offense

F+ — The Wolf Pack struggled from start to finish and didn’t score until 1:56 remained in the game. Nevada had only one first down and seven yards after four series when true freshman quarterback Kaymen Cureton was subbed out for David Cornwell, who completed 13-of-25 passes for 97 yards and three interceptions (Cureton was 1-of-5 for 8 yards). Nevada mustered just 151 total yards on 54 plays (that’s 2.8 yards per play). It was 2-of-11 on third down, with the end result being just 13 first downs. The team’s first nine possessions ended with a quick punt or turnover and Nevada didn’t get into the red zone until midway through the fourth quarter. The offensive line struggled, with Nevada averaging just 1.9 yards per rush while allowing five sacks. Three of the Wolf Pack’s final four drives started in Cougars’ territory, including one at the 8-yard line, but the offense was able to score just once in the game (it had three turnovers). Washington State has a good defense, but this was a historically poor performance.

Defense

C- — It’s a little hard to judge the defense because it was on the field so long (38:46), but once Wazzu got rolling, Nevada could not slow it down. After a turnover on downs on its first possession, Washington State scored touchdowns on its next five possessions to take a 35-0 lead at halftime. The Wolf Pack played better in the second half, but some of that was a result of the Cougars not being quite as focused with the game out of hand. QB Luke Falk shredded Nevada, completing 36-of-47 passes for 478 yards and five touchdowns. The Wolf Pack limited Washington State to 1.6 yards per carry, but a large chunk of that is due to the negative yards from four sacks and a minus-31-yard run by backup QB Tyler Hilinski, who fumbled the ball backward. Credit Nevada for two second-half turnovers and the unit did play hard until the end, but it couldn’t get off the field – Washington State converted 9-of-14 third downs – and the first-half avalanche buried the Wolf Pack, which needed to force more field goals. The tackling also was an issue and helped spring Washington State for four catches of 40-plus yards.

Special teams

C — It was a nondescript game for this group, which didn’t make any big plays or big mistakes. The kick return unti was a uneven as Berdale Robins was replaced with Daiyan Henley – both are true freshmen – after Robins got a little too cute running horizontally rather than vertical on a 6-yard return. Overall, Nevada averaged 19.2 yards per kick return. P Quinton Conaway averaged 39.6 yards per punt, with two of his seven ending up inside the 20 (his net also was 39.6 yards as Washington State didn’t have any return yards). Ramiz Ahmed’s only kickoff went for a touchback and Spencer Pettit, who made his only point after, tried for an onside kick late in the game that Nevada failed to recover. The Wolf Pack needs to figure out who its kickoff returner is but this a no-help, no-harm performance by the special teams.

Coaching

D — The Wolf Pack was clearly outmatched from a personnel and experience standpoint in a game it should have lost in lopsided fashion. This is the best team Nevada has faced this season and will likely face all year. But, after an inspired effort in the season opener, the Wolf Pack has taken a little step backward each game thereafter. Coach Jay Norvell said prior to the season that Nevada should improve every month, but I’m not sure this team is in a better place heading into October than it was heading into September, when it played toe-to-toe with Northwestern, a Big Ten team. We’ll see exactly where the Wolf Pack is next week when Nevada opens the Mountain West season at Fresno State, but the Pack could have been a little more competitive in this game than it was (FCS school Montana State only lost to Washington State by 31; Nevada lost by 38).