FACTS & STATS: Site: Mackay Stadium (31,900) -- Reno, Nevada. Television: None. Home Record: LaTech 3-2, Nevada 3-2. Away Record: LaTech 2-4, Nevada 2-4. Neutral Record: LaTech 0-0, Nevada 0-0. Conference Record: LaTech 4-3, Nevada 3-4. Series Record: Louisiana Tech leads, 4-3.

GAME NOTES: Bowl eligibility is up for grabs this weekend in the Western Athletic Conference as the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs go after each other in the regular-season finale at Mackay Stadium in Reno. Nevada appeared to be in prime position to make it to the postseason a few weeks ago, but back-to-back losses have taken some of the wind out of its sails. Following a crushing 28-26 setback versus Hawaii a couple weeks ago, the Wolf Pack made the trip to San Jose State this past Saturday and fell in a 27-24 decision, marking the first win for the Spartans over Nevada in six years. The loss dropped the Pack to just 5-6 on the season, which is where LaTech currently stands as well. With only two wins through the first seven games of 2007, the Bulldogs were almost left for dead, but the squad has since won three of four contests to get to within a game of .500. The most recent outing for the Bulldogs took place on November 17, with the squad taking out San Jose State by a score of 27-23. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a slim 4-3 margin, but Nevada has been the victor in each of the last two meetings. A season ago the team's met in Ruston where the Wolf Pack crushed LaTech in a 42-0 decision.

For most of the season, LaTech quarterback Zac Champion played nothing like his name would indicate, but he's bounced back as of late. In 11 games the signal- caller has thrown for 191.5 ypg and has recorded 13 touchdowns through the air, but has also been tagged with 10 interceptions. In the last five games Champion has tossed a total of eight picks, and yet he's still looked better during that stretch for the most part. Anthony Harrison is the leading receiver for the squad with his 32 grabs, but they've resulted in just 289 yards and not a single touchdown. The running back combination of Patrick Jackson and Daniel Porter has made up more than 1,400 yards and accounted for 14 of the team's 16 rushing scores. Unfortunately, as hard as the key offensive performers have worked in 2007, the squad is still sixth in the WAC and 94th in the nation in scoring with a mere 21.7 ppg.

Except for a handful of games this season, the LaTech defense has been beaten and bruised at almost every turn. The squad has permitted at least 42 points on four separate occasions, but there was a moment that the group shined as it fell to undefeated Hawaii by just a single point in the second game of the season. The pass defense has been especially suspect, allowing 276.5 ypg to rank last in the conference and 108th in the nation this week. However, as bad as that might sound, the fact is the secondary has made quite a bit of noise as well with 19 interceptions to slow down opponents. Weldon Brown and Tony Moss are tied for the team lead with four picks apiece, while Antonio Baker and Deon Young check in with three INTs each as well. Baker also leads the unit with a total of 113 tackles and is first with two recovered fumbles. In terms of quality tackles, Chris Pugh checks in with 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, both of which pace the group.

Nevada was supposed to be one of the teams competing for the WAC title this season, but injuries and hard-luck losses have almost pushed the Pack completely out of the postseason picture at this point. Luke Lippincott was limited to a mere 74 yards on 16 carries last weekend, which is one of the reasons Nevada was unable to escape SJSU on the road. Colin Kaepernick continued to show outstanding play with his 12-of-22 passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns, adding 72 yards rushing on nine attempts, but it simply couldn't do it all alone. Marko Mitchell captured four passes for 144 yards and both scores. Lippincott is still listed as the leading rusher in the WAC and 20th in the nation this week with his 115.3 ypg, but since coming in for the injured Nick Graziano this team has belonged to Kaepernick. The young signal-caller is not only second on the team with 488 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, he's managed to connected on 54.5 percent of his pass attempts for 14 touchdowns and a mere three INTs, which says a lot about how quickly he has grown up. Thanks to matchups against Nicholls State and Boise State, this group has risen to 10th in the nation in total offense with 475.1 ypg and is 21st in scoring with 35.1 ppg as well.

Even though San Jose State managed just 86 yards rushing on Saturday, the home team still kept the Nevada defense on the field for far too long. The Pack defense, which spent more than 36 minutes on the field, had an especially tough time getting to the bench in the fourth quarter when the Spartans held onto the ball for more than 11 minutes, essentially killing any chances the Pack had at making it into the win column. Four players finished with double- digit tackles for Nevada, led by Paul Pratt with his 12 stops. Ezra Butler checked win with 11 tackles, 1.5 behind the line of scrimmage and an interception in the setback as well. In addition to the blowout loss to Nebraska in the first game of the season, the Pack has been involved in a couple of other nasty contests in which the opposition has trampled the defense, namely the meetings with Fresno State and Boise State in back-to-back contests. Because of those outcomes, the Pack's scoring defense has been beaten up rather harshly, permitting 35 ppg to rank not only seventh in the conference but also 104th in the nation this week. A lack of pressure up front, just 1.9 sacks and 6.1 TFLs per game, means that the opposition is getting far too much time to search for outlets down the field.

With so much on the line in this final game, Kaepernick and Lippincott will not go away quietly. In fact, expect the duo to do a number of the LaTech defense and run away with the victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Nevada 41, Louisiana Tech 30

Saturday, December 1st, 4:05 p.m. (et)