Chris Ault was a legend at Nevada with a record of 233-109-1 while guiding the Wolf Pack on two different occasions. It was a Hall of Fame career, but as of the last game of 2012, it was done.

In came in Brian Polian, who was serving as the special teams coordinator at Texas A&M, and one thing is clear.

He’s not Coach Ault. No disrespect, but he doesn’t want to be, and that’s been hard for some people around Reno to navigate. Including Polian.

“It’s incredibly tricky, and it’s a fine line and it’s been and it’s been the biggest challenge in terms of meeting with the media and the public and the fan base and the alums,” Polian said. “That’s been the biggest challenge since I’ve taken the job, to make sure the people understand how much I respect Coach Ault and appreciate everything he has done. Just because I’m changing something or just because my philosophy might be a little bit different, don’t take that as a sign of disrespect.”

For any coach to succeed, he has to be true to himself, and that’s what Polian is doing. There is music at practice, and upgrades have been made around the facilities for them. And more than every before, they are enjoying the process.

“I just think the overall looser, more fun attitude is going to help us,” nose tackle Justin Hanson said. “I feel like a lot of guys can relate and work better in those conditions. The game is supposed to be fun. I feel like at times, that wasn’t on Coach Ault’s mind. This is your job, you do it. Don’t smile at all. I’m 21 years old. I like to enjoy this.”

Polian wants them to, with guidelines. Work hard in the classroom and on the field and behave yourself outside the program, the fun continues. If it stops, Polian insisted the fun will too.

The Wolf Pack lost a tough bowl game to Arizona to end the Ault era, so Polian inherits a program that isn’t exactly building. And as it turns out, he has the quarterback he always wanted, just not at the place he originally thought.

While at Notre Dame, Polian was up for a FCS job, and had told Cody Fajardo he would be the first player he offered. He didn’t get the job, and Nevada found Fajardo late. Good for Polian, too.

“For what we do, he’s a perfect fit,” Polian said, referring to the Pistol offense which will remain firmly in place. “I think he’s undervalued in the league, frankly, as a quarterback. I think people look at him as an athlete that runs a very specific system, when in reality, he’s a much better thrower than I gave him credit for. He has a very high football IQ. He’s a quarterback. I have no doubt in my mind he’ll have a chance to play on Sundays.”

Fajardo accounted for 3,907 yards of total offense and 32 touchdowns a year ago, and with the loss of running back Stephon Jefferson (1,883 yards), Fajardo’s production will be even more vital to the success of the team. The defense returns just five starters, leading to some construction signs, but there are key pieces in place, starting with Brock Hekking, a defensive lineman who had eight sacks among his 10 tackles for loss.

And not only are the players having fun under Polian, the Wolf Pack remains a rather confident bunch in what they can accomplish this year. Picked to finish fourth in the West Division, Fajardo likes the team’s chances.

“We’re going to be motivated and hopefully we’ll go out and surprise some people,” Fajardo said. “This is a real biased opinion, but I’d pick us one or two, but second place is first loser. I’d pick myself one. I have all the confidence in my team, all the confidence in Coach Polian and I feel like we’re one of the top programs in the Mountain West.”

Nothing is more fun than winning, and that can’t be misinterpreted by anybody.

“I don’t believe you have to be miserable going through the process,” Polian said. “I don’t believe that. That’s different for some folks. It’s not bad, it’s just different.”

Mike Brohard can be reached at 635-3633, mbrohard@reporter-herald.com or on Twitter @mbrohard

Nevada Wolf Pack

2012: 7-6, 4-4 MW

Returning starters: Offense (7), Defense (5), Specialists (2)

Who to watch: Brock Hekking. The defensive lineman is coming off a great season, finishing with 10 tackles for loss among his 75 stops, including eight sacks

Predicted finish: Fourth in the West Division.