# 2019 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

The 2019 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by third–year head coach Jay Norvell and played their home games at Mackay Stadium. They were members of the West Division of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 7–6 and 4–4 in Mountain West play to finish in third place in the West division.

## Coaching changes

Jeff Casteel was relieved of his duties as defensive coordinator. Former Sacramento State head coach Jody Sears took over as Wolf Pack's Defensive Coordinator for the bowl game. Norvell said "Jeff, David and Mike have made significant contributions to our program and I'm appreciative of their efforts with the Wolf Pack, We are moving forward in a new direction, and we are preparing for the bowl game at this time." and Norvell again said "We're excited to have these high quality coaches with us as we prepare for a really good Ohio team in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, With the early signing period behind us, our sole purpose is to prepare our players to win the bowl game. We will focus on filling permanent additions to the staff in January. Probably the most important thing is getting the right coaches here for the long term, I'm not going to hurry through that process. I'm going to take my time. I'm going to talk to everybody I know. We'll talk to college coaches, professional coaches, everybody that I respect we'll get information from and we'll make sure we have the right people who have the qualities that we need to take the next step."

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Maxwell Award | Toa Taua | RB | SO |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Gabriel Sewell | LB | SR |
| Doak Walker Award | Toa Taua | RB | SO |
| Outland Trophy | Jake Nelson | OL | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Lucas Weber | LB | SR |
| Ted Hendricks Award | Dom Peterson | DE | SO |

### Mountain West media days

The Mountain West media days were held on July 23–24, 2019, at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Nevada.

#### Media poll

The preseason poll was released on July 23, 2019. The Wolf Pack were predicted to finish in third place in the MW West Division.
West :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Fresno State | 122 (17) |
| 2 | San Diego State | 106 (3) |
| 3 | Nevada | 74 |
| 4 | Hawaii | 67 (1) |
| 5 | UNLV | 51 |
| 6 | San Jose State | 21 |
Mountain :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Boise State | 120 (15) |
| 2 | Utah State | 108 (6) |
| 3 | Air Force | 73 |
| 4 | Wyoming | 66 |
| 5 | Colorado State | 52 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 22 |

#### Preseason All–Mountain West Team

The Wolf Pack had two players selected to the preseason All–Mountain West Team; two from the offense.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Purdue* | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | CBSSN | W 34–31 | 20,144 |
| September 7 | 4:30 p.m. | at No. 16 Oregon* | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | P12N | L 6–77 | 50,920 |
| September 14 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 6 (Div. I FCS) Weber State* | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | ESPN3 | W 19–13 | 14,174 |
| September 21 | 5:00 p.m. | at UTEP* | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | ESPN3 | W 37–21 | 10,493 |
| September 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Hawaii | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | ESPN2 | L 3–54 | 15,137 |
| October 12 | 1:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | AT&T RM | W 41–38 | 15,311 |
| October 19 | 7:15 p.m. | at Utah State | Maverik StadiumLogan, UT | ESPNU | L 10–36 | 15,240 |
| October 26 | 11:00 a.m. | at Wyoming | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | AT&T RM | L 3–31 | 16,126 |
| November 2 | 7:30 p.m. | New Mexico | Mackay StadiumReno, NV (Battle of the Wolves) | ESPNU | W 21–10 | 15,631 |
| November 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 24 San Diego State | SDCCU StadiumSan Diego, CA | ESPN2 | W 17–13 | 27,973 |
| November 23 | 7:30 p.m. | at Fresno State | Bulldog StadiumFresno, CA | ESPN2 | W 35–28 | 32,303 |
| November 30 | 12:00 p.m. | UNLV | Mackay StadiumReno, NV (Battle for the Fremont Cannon / Silver State Series) | AT&T RM | L 30–33 $^{OT}$ | 16,683 |
| January 3, 2020 | 12:30 p.m. | vs. Ohio* | Albertsons StadiumBoise, ID (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) | ESPN | L 21–30 | 13,611 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| • Wolf Pack | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 34 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| PUR –11 | 58.5 |
| Statistics | Purdue | Nevada |
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Total yards | 519 | 404 |
| Rushing yards | 96 | 109 |
| Passing yards | 423 | 295 |
| Turnovers | 8 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:23 | 28:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Purdue | Passing | Elijah Sindelar | 34/52, 423 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Purdue | Rushing | Zander Horvath | 19 carries, 66 yards |
| Purdue | Receiving | Rondale Moore | 2 receptions, 124 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 30/51, 295 yards, 3 TDs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 12 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Toa Taua | 8 receptions, 64 yards |

### At Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • No. 16 Ducks | 7 | 28 | 28 | 14 | 77 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| N/A | N/A |
| Statistics | Nevada | Oregon |
| First downs | 12 | 28 |
| Total yards | 192 | 623 |
| Rushing yards | 83 | 221 |
| Passing yards | 109 | 402 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:35 | 26:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 13/25, 89 yards, 2 INTs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Jaxson Kincaide | 13 carries, 52 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Kelton Moore | 1 reception, 23 yards |
| Oregon | Passing | Justin Herbert | 19/26, 310 yards, 5 TDs |
| Oregon | Rushing | Darrian Felix | 8 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD |
| Oregon | Receiving | Jake Breeland | 4 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD |

### Weber State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 (Div. I FCS) Wildcats | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| • Wolf Pack | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –7.5 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Weber State | Nevada |
| First downs | 10 | 25 |
| Total yards | 125 | 453 |
| Rushing yards | 62 | 153 |
| Passing yards | 63 | 300 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 22:35 | 37:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Weber State | Passing | Kaden Jenks | 6/21, 57 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Weber State | Rushing | Kevin Smith | 13 carries, 26 yards |
| Weber State | Receiving | Rashid Shaheed | 3 receptions, 30 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 30/44, 299 yards, 2 INTs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 16 carries, 85 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Kaleb Fossum | 5 receptions, 77 yards |

### At UTEP

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolf Pack | 0 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 37 |
| Miners | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –14 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Nevada | UTEP |
| First downs | 19 | 17 |
| Total yards | 403 | 278 |
| Rushing yards | 193 | 162 |
| Passing yards | 210 | 116 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:05 | 34:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Cristian Solano | 13/19, 182 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Cristian Solano | 10 carries, 100 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Elijah Cooks | 4 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TDs |
| UTEP | Passing | Brandon Jones | 8/11, 106 yards, 1 INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Treyvon Hughes | 17 carries, 80 yards, 2 TDs |
| UTEP | Receiving | Jess Trussell | 3 receptions, 53 yards |

### Hawaii

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Rainbow Warriors | 7 | 24 | 14 | 9 | 54 |
| Wolf Pack | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –2 | 63.5 |
| Statistics | Hawaii | Nevada |
| First downs | 26 | 16 |
| Total yards | 512 | 203 |
| Rushing yards | 139 | 98 |
| Passing yards | 373 | 105 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:12 | 28:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Hawaii | Passing | Cole McDonald | 25/30, 312 yards, 4 TDs |
| Hawaii | Rushing | Fred Holly III | 11 carries, 63 yards |
| Hawaii | Receiving | Jason–Matthew Sharsh | 9 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Passing | Cristian Solano | 11/17, 59 yards, 1 INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 17 carries, 72 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Elijah Cooks | 5 receptions, 38 yards |

### San Jose State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 3 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
| • Wolf Pack | 14 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –3 | 60.5 |
| Statistics | San Jose State | Nevada |
| First downs | 16 | 25 |
| Total yards | 420 | 541 |
| Rushing yards | 15 | 189 |
| Passing yards | 405 | 352 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 20:44 | 39:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| San Jose State | Passing | Josh Love | 23/45, 405 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| San Jose State | Rushing | Nick Nash | 3 carries, 23 yards |
| San Jose State | Receiving | Bailey Gaither | 5 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Passing | Malik Henry | 22/37, 352 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 34 carries, 160 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 5 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD |

### At Utah State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Aggies | 9 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 36 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| USU –22.5 | 59 |
| Statistics | Nevada | Utah State |
| First downs | 15 | 22 |
| Total yards | 326 | 418 |
| Rushing yards | 113 | 244 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 174 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 34:39 | 25:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Malik Henry | 17/38, 213 yards, 2 INTs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 20 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 4 receptions, 80 yards |
| Utah State | Passing | Jordan Love | 13/31, 169 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Utah State | Rushing | Gerold Bright | 15 carries, 126 yards, 2 TDs |
| Utah State | Receiving | Siaosi Mariner | 2 receptions, 53 yards |

### At Wyoming

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Cowboys | 14 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WYO –13.5 | 44 |
| Statistics | Nevada | Wyoming |
| First downs | 17 | 22 |
| Total yards | 335 | 479 |
| Rushing yards | 81 | 258 |
| Passing yards | 254 | 221 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:14 | 29:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 26/40, 247 yards, 1 INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Devonte Lee | 3 carries, 38 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 5 receptions, 98 yards |
| Wyoming | Passing | Sean Chambers | 6/9, 158 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Wyoming | Rushing | Xazavian Valladay | 26 carries, 206 yards |
| Wyoming | Receiving | Raghib Ismail Jr. | 4 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD |

### New Mexico

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • Wolf Pack | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –3.5 | 58 |
| Statistics | New Mexico | Nevada |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 346 | 369 |
| Rushing yards | 109 | 64 |
| Passing yards | 237 | 305 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:15 | 34:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico | Passing | Tevaka Tuioti | 19/36, 237 yards |
| New Mexico | Rushing | Ahmari Davis | 15 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD |
| New Mexico | Receiving | Marcus Williams | 6 receptions, 74 yards |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 28/40, 305 yards, 2 TDs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Devonte Lee | 9 carries, 68 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 11 receptions, 167 yards, 1 TD |

### At San Diego State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolf Pack | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| No. 24 Aztecs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SDSU –17 | 39.5 |
| Statistics | Nevada | San Diego State |
| First downs | 12 | 18 |
| Total yards | 226 | 309 |
| Rushing yards | 29 | 113 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 196 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:41 | 32:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 19/26, 147 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 12 carries, 19 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Brendan O'Leary–Orange | 1 reception, 50 yards |
| San Diego State | Passing | Ryan Agnew | 18/35, 196 yards, 1 INT |
| San Diego State | Rushing | Chance Bell | 11 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD |
| San Diego State | Receiving | Kobe Smith | 5 receptions, 40 yards |

### At Fresno State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolf Pack | 14 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| FS –12.5 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Nevada | Fresno State |
| First downs | 18 | 18 |
| Total yards | 408 | 331 |
| Rushing yards | 254 | 53 |
| Passing yards | 154 | 278 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:29 | 28:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 20/31, 154 yards, 3 TDs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 20 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Elijah Cooks | 5 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Jorge Reyna | 27/37, 261 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Josh Hokit | 7 carries, 32 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Ronnie Rivers | 7 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |

### UNLV

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| • Rebels | 17 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
| Wolf Pack | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –7 | 52 |
| Statistics | UNLV | Nevada |
| First downs | 15 | 28 |
| Total yards | 412 | 459 |
| Rushing yards | 183 | 108 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 351 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:13 | 34:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UNLV | Passing | Kenyon Oblad | 16/22, 229 yards, 3 TDs |
| UNLV | Rushing | Charles Williams | 20 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD |
| UNLV | Receiving | Steve Jenkins | 5 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TDs |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 33/54, 351 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Rushing | Devonte Lee | 11 carries, 44 yards, 2 TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Elijah Cooks | 12 receptions, 151 yards |

### Vs. Ohio (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bobcats | 3 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| OHIO –10 | 62.5 |
| Statistics | Ohio | Nevada |
| First downs | 25 | 24 |
| Total yards | 429 | 430 |
| Rushing yards | 285 | 29 |
| Passing yards | 144 | 401 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 33:13 | 26:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ohio | Passing | Nathan Rourke | 9/17, 144 yards |
| Ohio | Rushing | De'Montre Tuggle | 10 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD |
| Ohio | Receiving | Isiah Cox | 3 receptions, 73 yards |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 31/49, 402 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 6 carries, 48 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Elijah Cooks | 14 receptions, 197 yards, 1 TD |