Nevada Football: Would Malik Henry-led Wolf Pack contend in 2019?

Jay Norvell took Nevada football to a bowl game in his second year in Reno. Can he continue to build on last year’s success in 2019?

After a rough 3-9 start to his tenure in 2017, Jay Norvell started to put his imprint on the Nevada program. Last year, the Wolf Pack improved by five wins and won the Arizona Bowl over Arkansas State. Nevada’s eight victories represented the highest win total since finishing 13-1 in their breakout 2010 campaign under Colin Kaepernick.

This year’s Wolf Pack roster is unlikely to replicate the high point from nearly a decade ago, but they could still make noise in the MWC West race. In a year where there is no definitive juggernaut in the division, Nevada has the potential to play spoiler and earn their way back to a bowl game.

A tough schedule right out of the gate could turn things one of two ways for the Wolf Pack. Either they will play strong against Power Five opponents, gaining confidence for the conference slate, or they will fall down and risk a backslide in year three of the Norvell era.

Which is likelier to occur in the Biggest Little City in the World this year, progression or regression? Let’s dive in and look deeper at the offense and defense before evaluating the schedule and making some predictions on where Nevada might finish.