2011 WAC College Football Preview

[Freddy Wills]

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1. Nevada
2. Fresno State
3. Hawaii
4. Louisiana Tech
5. Idaho
6. Utah State
7. San Jose State
8. New Mexico State

Will this may be one of the last years you see the WAC and take them some what seriously. After Boise State left that really only leaves Nevada, Fresno and Hawaii who are not far behind Boise in terms of leaving the conference. The good thing is the bottom of the league or 4-7 above will be extremely competitive with each other and one of them could shock us in the overall conference race. Let’s just take a look on how I break each aspect of the game down and who has the best units. Don’t forget to check out our entire this year as well as all of our league previews which you can find by clicking article titles below:

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Nevada is clearly the offense that was extremely productive when Chris Ault and offensive coordinator Cameron Norcross joined the team. It landed QB Colin Kaepernick in the NFL. They finished 4th in the nation in total offense and eight in scoring. It won’t be easy at first having to replace the starting QB, RB, TE and three other starters on offense, but the line has 3 returners and the running game should still have it behind Mike Ball who had 38 touches and averaged 6.8 ypc along with and Lampford Mark who had 55 touches for 413 yards a 7.5 ypc average. Taking over at QB is Tyler Lantrip who is said to have a strong accurate arm and with the return of Rishard Mathews one of the best in the WAC 56 receptions 879 yards 5 TD a year ago I think the offense will be just fine. The Next Five: Fresno State, Hawaii, LA Tech, Idaho, and Utah State.


Has to be Hawaii in this spot as the passing attack is going to blow up again in the WAC against these poor secondaries whenever they have to face Bryant Moniz. He’s a lock for the WAC player of the year. The 6-1 Senior through for 5,040 yards along with 39 TD’s and 15 interceptions for a 159.1 rating. Do note he was sacked 38 times and when you pass the ball 555 times a year that’s going to happen. Moniz had to go up against some tough competition early last year facing USC, Colorado and Army and he finished the year losing to Tulsa in the Hawaii Bowl by throwing 4 interceptions. It will be interesting to see if he gains his confidence back right away. The Next Three: Tyler Lantrip (Nevada); Derek Carr (Fresno State); Brian Reader (Idaho).


Vai Taua is gone, but as I mentioned in the offensive column this team gets back two studs who are backed by crazy depth at running back. Both have not had to carry a load with limited touches each year but the speed and vision are there to make big plays in the WAC conference especially off some of the teams who have very poor run defenses. The Next Three: Fresno State, Utah State, LA Tech.


Hawaii almost by default. Does this team ever run the ball? Moniz through 555 times a year ago, nearly 50 times a game. They lose Greg Salas and Pilares, but there is talent behind them. Royce Pollard and Billy Ray are going to be super reliable early and there will be lots of open competition early which in my opinion is always a good thing when players have to prove something. The Next 3: Fresno State, LA Tech, and Nevada.


Nevada get three of their 5 starters back they had the best ground attack returning. They finished 12th in the nation a year ago in sacks allowed and were ranked 3rd in overall rushing. I’d say they deserve to be on top going into 2011. They have a couple nice prospects with good size and I don’t think they’ll miss a beat not in this conference at least. The Next 3: Fresno State, LA Tech, and Utah State.


1. S Duke Ihenacho, Senior San Jose State
2. WR Rishard Matthews, Senior Nevada
3. LB Adrien Cole, Senior LA Tech
4. LB Bobby Wagner, Senior Utah State
5. S Phillip Thomas, Junior Fresno State
6. RB Robbie Rouse, Junior Fresno State


As you can see from the list above most of this league as far as the NFL talent pool comes from the defense not the play making side with the exception of a couple. Without Boise State in the conference you are not going to see many offensive players going in the first couple of rounds from the WAC. Nevada the team I picked to win the conference will be my #1 defense this year. They finished 3rd in the WAC in yards allowed and that’s impressive for how much time they spent on the field with that offense clicking. That was good for 31st in the nation. You have to be really disciplined to pull that off. They lose a couple of starters but the back 7 is strong and should force lots of turnovers. The Next Three: LA Tech, Fresno State, and Idaho.


LA tech is led by their best defensive player in Senior defensive end Matt Broha. He’s backed by Adrian Cole and jay Dudley behind him, but at 6-4 and 255 lbs he’s a true end and has the pass rush skills with 14.5 career sacks with 9 coming last year. We think he steps up and leads this defensive line in 2011 in what could be a shocking year for LA Tech. The Next 3: Nevada, Fresno, Idaho.


Adrian Cole has the potential to play and the next level and he forms the best duo in the WAC when he’s joined by Jay Dudley. Add in Dusty Rust and Solomon Randle and the Bulldogs have a special 4 unlike any other team in the conference. Anything left by the front line should be cleaned up by this group which could be important in stopping the run as I see their defensive line more as a pass rushing line than a team that’s going to stop you, but the front 7 working together should combine for a solid defense. The Next 3: Nevada, Hawaii, and Fresno State.


Adrian Cole has the potential to play and the next level and he forms the best duo in the WAC when he’s joined by Jay Dudley. Add in Dusty Rust and Solomon Randle and the Bulldogs have a special 4 unlike any other team in the conference. Anything left by the front line should be cleaned up by this group which could be important in stopping the run as I see their defensive line more as a pass rushing line than a team that’s going to stop you, but the front 7 working together should combine for a solid defense. The Next 3: Nevada, Hawaii, and Fresno State.


1. California vs. Fresno State 9/3
2. Nevada @ Oregon 9/10
3. Colorado @ Hawaii 9/3
4. LA Tech @ Mississippi State 9/24
5. Mississippi @ Fresno State 10/1


LA Tech @ Nevada on 11/19. You may be wondering hat the heck I am talking about how is this the game of the year for the conference, but Fresno State at Nevada in October will decide what team is considered the leagues best and I expect Nevada to be heavy favorites by a TD in that game and win. LA Tech will be doing the dirty work surprising most in the conference with their defense and they’ll get to this game with the opportunity to pull off a huge upset and that is why I’m considering this as the game of the year.