Nevada football fighting for Mountain West crown in 2020

Nevada to accelerate air-raid passing offense

There is nowhere to go but up for the Wolf Pack offense and their goal for a more explosive air raid offense. They’re looking for more progress in offensive coordinator Matt Mumme’s fourth season with the program. This whole coaching staff is under serious pressure but one of the biggest spotlights is on head coach Jay Norvell and coach Mumme.

With nine starters returning on the offensive side of the ball from last season and more play-calling from Mumme, that is bound to happen.

Last season, the Wolf Pack were ranked 111th (11th in the Mountain West) in points per game (21.3) and 101st (10th in the Mountain West) in total yards per game (365.3). The biggest problem that the Wolf Pack suffered all last season was overall efficiency. They only converted 37 percent of their third downs all last season (76-of-205) and accounted for only 251 first downs. The Wolf Pack were ranked 98th in first downs accounted for per game (19.3).

Among some of the players that experienced an up-and-down season in 2020 was Carson Strong.

As a redshirt freshman, Carson started and played in 10 games this past season while playing great in some games, underperforming in a few games, and experiencing minor injuries. Last season overall, Strong exceeded expectations as he passed for 2,335 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on 237 completions (out of 374 passing attempts). With a full year under his belt and the knowledge of the system, Strong is looking to excel more for the Wolf Pack’s offense.

While a typical air raid offense doesn’t rely on the impact of the rushing game. The Nevada Wolf Pack’s offense benefits from a more dynamic form of playmakers in their air raid.

They return both their top rushers from this past season in Toa Taua and Devontee Lee. Taua is entering this season as third-team All-Mountain West by Athlon Sports. Taua rushed for 807 yards and six touchdowns on 196 carries. Lee rushed for 302 yards and seven touchdowns on 66 carries in specific packages.

The Wolf Pack return their top two receivers from this past season on a passing game that was ranked 51st in passing yards per game (249.7).

Elijah Cooks led the Wolf Pack last in every major receiving category last season. He caught 76 passes for 926 yards and eight touchdowns as the main slot receiver. Romeo Doubs caught 44 passes for 649 yards and four touchdowns. Doubs was selected by Athlon Sports as a preseason All-Mountain West second-teamer. Melquan Stovall will be the final projected starter for the Wolf Pack after catching 19 passes for 171 yards in his true freshman season.

The offensive line looks to be consistent than last season as they gave up 33 total sacks last season. In 2018, the Wolf Pack’s offensive line averaged only 1.17 sacks throughout the year. They were also a big contributor to some of the injuries to Strong and the lack of an efficient run game. They do return all five of their starters on the line but there is expected to be some competition for the starting spots for 2020.

Right tackle Nate Brown will start for a third straight season with the Wolf Pack as he was named to Athlon Sports’ preseason All-Mountain West third team. Tyler Orsini is projected to start at the center position over returner Nathan Edwards as he had four solid starts in 2019.