# 2021 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

The 2021 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno, in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by fifth–year head coach Jay Norvell and played their home games at Mackay Stadium. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mountain West Conference.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Maxwell Award | Romeo Doubs | WR | SR |
| Maxwell Award | Carson Strong | QB | JR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Lawson Hall | LB | FY |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Carson Strong | QB | JR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Elijah Cooks | WR | GS |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Romeo Doubs | WR | SR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Cole Turner | TE | SR |
| Rimington Trophy | Tyler Orsini | OL | GS |
| John Mackey Award | Cole Turner | TE | SR |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Berdale Robins | DB | FY |
| Lou Groza Award | Brandon Talton | PK | JR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Romeo Doubs | WR | SR |
| Manning Award | Carson Strong | QB | JR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Carson Strong | QB | JR |

### Mountain West media days

The Mountain West media days were held on July 21–22, 2021, at the Cosmopolitan in Paradise, Nevada.

#### Media poll

The preseason poll was released on July 21, 2021. The Wolf Pack were predicted to finish in first place in the MW West Division.
West :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Nevada | 141 (19) |
| 2 | San Jose State | 121 (5) |
| 3 | San Diego State | 96 |
| 4 | Fresno State | 85 (1) |
| 5 | Hawaii | 56 |
| 6 | UNLV | 26 |
Mountain :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Boise State | 148 (23) |
| 2 | Wyoming | 115 (2) |
| 3 | Air Force | 104 |
| 4 | Colorado State | 72 |
| 5 | Utah State | 47 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 39 |

#### Preseason All-Mountain West Team

The Wolf Pack had four players selected to the preseason All–Mountain West Team; three from the offense and one from the specialists.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 7:30 p.m. | at California* | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | FS1 | W 22–17 | 35,117 |
| September 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Idaho State* | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | KNSN-TV/Stadium | W 49–10 | 23,965 |
| September 18 | 11:00 a.m. | at Kansas State* | Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN+ | L 17–38 | 48,768 |
| October 2 | 12:30 p.m. | at Boise State | Albertsons StadiumBoise, ID (rivalry) | FS1 | W 41–31 | 37,426 |
| October 9 | 7:30 p.m. | New Mexico State* | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | CBSSN | W 55–28 | 21,448 |
| October 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Hawaii | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | CBSSN | W 34–17 | 22,098 |
| October 23 | 4:00 p.m. | at Fresno State | Bulldog StadiumFresno, CA | FS1 | L 32–34 | 33,012 |
| October 29 | 7:00 p.m. | UNLV | Mackay StadiumReno, NV (Battle for the Fremont Cannon / Silver State Series) | CBSSN | W 51–20 | 28,960 |
| November 6 | 7:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | FS2 | W 27–24 | 17,770 |
| November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 22 San Diego State | Dignity Health Sports ParkCarson, CA | CBSSN | L 21–23 | 11,821 |
| November 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Air Force | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | FS1 | L 39–41 $^{3OT}$ | 15,206 |
| November 27 | 6:00 p.m. | at Colorado State | Canvas StadiumFort Collins, CO | CBSSN | W 52–10 | 17,465 |
| December 27 | 8:00 a.m. | vs. Western Michigan* | Ford FieldDetroit, MI (Quick Lane Bowl) | ESPN | L 24–52 | 22,321 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Personnel
### Depth chart

| † | As of August 15, 2021 |
Defense :
* NICKEL
* Jordan Lee
* FS
* Christian Swint OR JoJuan Claiborne
| WILL | MIKE |
| Lamin Touray OR Daiyan Henley | Lawson Hall |
| Trevor Price | Josiah Bradley |
| ⋅ | Naki Mateialona |
* SS
* Tyson Williams
* Jayce Godley
* Emany Johnson
* CB
* Berdale Robins OR Jaden Dedman
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| Kameron Toomer | Zak Mahannah | Dom Peterson | Sam Hammond |
| Jack Powers | Christopher Love | Amir Johnson | Daniel Grzesiak |
* CB
* A.J. King OR Mikael Bradford
Offense :
* X
* Justin Lockhart
* Tory Horton
* H
* Melquan Stovall
* Jamaal Bell
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Jacob Gardner | Jermaine Ledbetter | Tyler Orsini | Zac Welch | Aaron Frost |
| Moses Landis | Gray Davis | ⋅ | ⋅ | ⋅ |
* TE
* Cole Turner
* Reagan Roberson
* Henry Ikahihifo
* Z
* Romeo Doubs
* QB
* Carson Strong
* Nate Cox
* Jake Barlage
* RB
* Toa Taua OR Devonte Lee
* Avery Morrow
* Special teams
* PK Brandon Talton
* P Julian Diaz
* KR Jamaal Bell Melquan Stovall
* PR Romeo Doubs
* LS Austin Ortega
* H Hamish McClure

## Game summaries
### At California

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolf Pack | 0 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
| Golden Bears | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CAL –3 | 52.5 |
| Statistics | Nevada | California |
| First downs | 19 | 17 |
| Total yards | 373 | 330 |
| Rushing yards | 61 | 153 |
| Passing yards | 312 | 177 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:42 | 32:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 22/39, 312 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 10 carries, 37 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Tory Horton | 3 receptions, 94 yards |
| California | Passing | Chase Garbers | 25/38, 177 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| California | Rushing | Damien Moore | 15 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD |
| California | Receiving | Jeremiah Hunter | 2 receptions, 35 yards |

### Idaho State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • Wolf Pack | 14 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 49 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –35 | 56.5 |
| Statistics | Idaho State | Nevada |
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Total yards | 283 | 586 |
| Rushing yards | 141 | 145 |
| Passing yards | 142 | 441 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 32:49 | 27:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Tyler Vander Waal | 10/17, 107 yards |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Malakai Rango | 10 carries, 72 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Xavier Guillory | 5 receptions, 54 yards |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 34/43, 381 yards, 4 TDs |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 9 carries, 103 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Elijah Cooks | 7 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TDs |

### At Kansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| • Wildcats | 7 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –1.5 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Nevada | Kansas State |
| First downs | 14 | 22 |
| Total yards | 331 | 398 |
| Rushing yards | 25 | 269 |
| Passing yards | 306 | 129 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:00 | 31:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 27/40, 262 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Devonte Lee | 10 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 7 receptions, 121 yards |
| Kansas State | Passing | Will Howard | 7/10, 123 yards, 1 TD |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Deuce Vaughn | 23 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Daniel Imatorbhebhe | 1 reception, 68 yards, 1 TD |

### At Boise State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolf Pack | 10 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 41 |
| Broncos | 14 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| BSU –3.5 | 59 |
| Statistics | Nevada | Boise State |
| First downs | 18 | 24 |
| Total yards | 393 | 410 |
| Rushing yards | 130 | 22 |
| Passing yards | 263 | 388 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 6 |
| Time of possession | 28:01 | 31:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 25/38, 263 yards, 1 TD |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 12 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs |
| Nevada | Receiving | Justin Lockhart | 5 receptions, 94 yards |
| Boise State | Passing | Hank Bachmeier | 34/47, 388 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT |
| Boise State | Rushing | Cyrus Habibi–Likio | 10 carries, 46 yards |
| Boise State | Receiving | Stefan Cobbs | 10 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TDs |

### New Mexico State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
| • Wolf Pack | 3 | 28 | 21 | 2 | 54 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NEV –31.5 | 61.5 |
| Statistics | New Mexico State | Nevada |
| First downs | 25 | 27 |
| Total yards | 452 | 532 |
| Rushing yards | 27 | 69 |
| Passing yards | 425 | 463 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:21 | 27:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Jonah Johnson | 38/62, 425 yards, 3 TD |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Juwaun Price | 10 carries, 37 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda | 5 receptions, 76 yards |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 25/32, 377 yards, 6 TD, INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 7 carries, 28 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Melquan Stovall | 7 receptions, 155 yards, TD |

### Hawaii

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| • Wolf Pack | 3 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| N/A | N/A |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Hawaii | Passing |
| Hawaii | Rushing |
| Hawaii | Receiving |
| Nevada | Passing |
| Nevada | Rushing |
| Nevada | Receiving |

### At Fresno State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 32 |
| • Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| FRES –3.5 | N/A |
| Statistics | Nevada | Fresno State |
| First downs | 30 | 24 |
| Total yards | 501 | 474 |
| Rushing yards | 47 | 205 |
| Passing yards | 476 | 256 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:03 | 25:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 49/61, 476 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 12 carries, 62 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 19 receptions, 203 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Jake Haener | 26/38, 256 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Ronnie Rivers | 23 carries, 134 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Keric Wheatfall | 5 receptions, 84 yards, TD |

### UNLV

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| • Wolf Pack | 10 | 10 | 21 | 10 | 51 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| N/A | N/A |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UNLV | Passing |
| UNLV | Rushing |
| UNLV | Receiving |
| Nevada | Passing |
| Nevada | Rushing |
| Nevada | Receiving |

### San Jose State

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Spartans | | | 0 |
| Wolf Pack | | | 0 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| N/A | N/A |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| San Jose State | Passing |
| San Jose State | Rushing |
| San Jose State | Receiving |
| Nevada | Passing |
| Nevada | Rushing |
| Nevada | Receiving |

### At No. 22 San Diego State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| • No. 22 Aztecs | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SDSU –2.5 | 45 |
| Statistics | Nevada | San Diego State |
| First downs | 19 | 20 |
| Total yards | 358 | 362 |
| Rushing yards | 8 | 186 |
| Passing yards | 350 | 176 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:32 | 33:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 34/48, 350 yards, 3 TD |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 9 carries, 31 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Romeo Doubs | 9 receptions, 127 yards, 2 TD |
| San Diego State | Passing | Lucas Johnson | 21/34, 176 yards, TD |
| San Diego State | Rushing | Greg Bell | 16 carries, 104 yards |
| San Diego State | Receiving | Elijah Kothe | 6 receptions, 71 yards |

### Air Force

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| N/A | N/A |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Air Force | Passing |
| Air Force | Rushing |
| Air Force | Receiving |
| Nevada | Passing |
| Nevada | Rushing |
| Nevada | Receiving |

### At Colorado State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Wolf Pack | 14 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 42 |
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| N/A | N/A |
| Statistics | Nevada | Colorado State |
| First downs | 22 | 20 |
| Total yards | 528 | 443 |
| Rushing yards | 226 | 230 |
| Passing yards | 302 | 213 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 28:56 | 31:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Carson Strong | 17/22, 288 yards, 4 TD |
| Nevada | Rushing | Avery Morrow | 5 carries, 88 yards, TD |
| Nevada | Receiving | Tory Horton | 4 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TD |
| Colorado State | Passing | Todd Centeio | 15/24, 185 yards, 2 INT |
| Colorado State | Rushing | Trey McBride | 1 carry, 69 yards, TD |
| Colorado State | Receiving | Trey McBride | 6 receptions, 113 yards |