Chris Murray

cmurray@rgj.com

If you were a betting person, you probably had the Wolf Pack football team sitting at 1-1 through two games.

A win at Cal Poly and a loss at Notre Dame to open the season seemed all but certain, and while the win over the FCS Mustangs was closer than expected – 30-27 in overtime – Nevada does stand at 1-1.

The intrigue really starts this week when Nevada hosts Buffalo at 6 p.m. Saturday at Mackay Stadium. After that comes a game at the Big Ten's Purdue, followed by four Mountain West contests before a bye week.

“We’re sitting here 1-1, and, as I believe it, the guts of our season starts this week,” Wolf Pack coach Brian Polian said.

As the Wolf Pack enters what he called “a crucial stretch,” he said Nevada’s coaching must improve.

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“We’ve got to eliminate the silly mistakes,” Polian said. “We’ve got to eliminate the drive-killing penalties. There have been far too many self-inflicted wounds the first two weeks and we have to clean that up. And frankly, I have to do a better job of coaching better. Our staff has to coach better. We have to play smarter. There were some plays in the first two games that were not smart football and we have to get that corrected, and that starts with me and the staff.”

The emphasis, Polian said, is on better fundamentals and situational awareness. Penalties, which largely haven’t cropped up under Polian’s, have been an issue. Nevada has been flagged 15 times for 128 yards, which Polian said is a big reason behind the offensive struggles. Some major, and avoidable, special teams miscues cost Nevada in the second quarter against Notre Dame, a period the Irish won, 25-0.

With its next few matchups against similarly talented teams – Nevada is an 11-point favorite over Buffalo, however – Polian wants his team to play cleaner games with crisper execution. Polian said he doesn’t know where he team exactly is now, which is not unusual two games into the season, but the next stretch of contests will give him a clearer indication of how his team stacks up against similar competition.

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“We have six weeks to go until the bye,” Polian said. “We’ll have a MAC team, a Big Ten team and four Mountain West teams before we hit the bye. I think when we hit the bye we’ll know who we are. I’m not afraid of that. I’m excited about it. It’s a great journey and the first step starts Saturday night.”

Said Wolf Pack running back James Butler: “We’ve had a lot of peaks and valleys in these first two games but I think we’re ready to stay on that incline that we need to be on.”

THE TRIPLE-OPTION WRINKLE

When safety Asauni Rufus was a senior at Bakersfield High, he rushed for 1,647 yards and 29 touchdowns – he also threw for 1,504 and 11 scores – as a triple-option quarterback for a state title-winning team.

When he signed with Nevada, Rufus thought his quarterback career was over. And it was, until now. The Wolf Pack introduced the triple-option last week and the package will remain for the rest of the year.

“It was an exciting experience,” Rufus said of quarterbacking at Notre Dame. “It felt good to be back under center again. It was familiar. I guess it’s like riding a bike. It was fun, though. It was definitely a surreal experience. When I was running out on the field I couldn’t believe it. It felt like a dream almost.”

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On his first play, Rufus picked up a first down on third-and-2. On the next play, he drew a 15-yard facemask penalty. Later on that drive, he was stuffed on fourth-and-inches on the Notre Dame 17.

In addition to his seven tackles, Rufus rushed twice for three yards, gaining two first downs on three plays.

“I’m excited for him,” Butler said. “That’s my boy. I remember watching his highlight films in high school and his runs were better than mine, and I was a running back.”

KINCAIDE EARNING BIGGER ROLE

The Wolf Pack has burned the redshirt on two freshmen this season and one of those players, running back Jaxson Kincaide, should see a bigger role in Nevada’s offense on Saturday against Buffalo.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Kincaide, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., scored his first college touchdown last week and has four touches this year for 39 yards. Butler’s backup, Akeel Lynch, suffered a concussion last week and is questionable for Buffalo, although Polian said Nevada will proceed with caution.

If Lynch can’t go, Butler, Kincaide and Blake Wright, who missed the first two games with injury, will serve as the three-man backfield. Polian has been pleasantly surprised by Kincaide’s emergence.

“He’s showing a little more juice than I thought he might have had coming out of high school,” Polian said. “He’s showing a maturity and willingness to prepare that’s been really impressive for a true freshmen in college. And he has good guys in his room, with James Butler and Marc Nudelberg, our running backs coach, showing him the way. I’ve been impressed with Jaxson so far and his touches will increase.”

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BUTLER GLAD ALOZIE’S GONE

When these teams met last season, Butler rushed for 177 yards – the second most in a game in his career – and a touchdown, but the play he remembers most is one that didn’t end well.

With Nevada facing first-and-10 on its 4-yard line, Butler busted up the middle and into the clear. He looked gone for a touchdown but was chased down from behind at the 5-yard line by Okezie Alozie. After that 91-yard run, Butler scored on the next play from 5 yards out.

Alozie, who wore No. 3 for the Bulls, was a senior last season and won’t suit up for Buffalo in this week’s game.

“I’m glad No. 3 isn’t there anymore to chase me down,” joked Butler, who still gets ribbed about the play.

Since then, Butler has had five touchdowns run of 50-plus yards and hasn’t been caught from behind.

WOLF PACK FOOTBALL

Who: Buffalo (0-1) at Nevada (1-1)

When: Saturday, 6 p.m.

Where: Mackay Stadium

TV/Radio: None/94.5 FM

Online: CampusInsiders.com

Betting line: Nevada by 11