Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: While it is certainly not something the Nevada Wolf Pack is going to advertise to highly these days, the team's 23-0 loss to New Mexico in last year's New Mexico Bowl was the ended a 329-game scoring streak, dating back to 1980. Three weeks prior the offense was just fine as it rang up a 49-10 triumph over Louisiana Tech to finish the regular season at 6-6 and earn a postseason berth. Considering how badly the 2007 season started for the Pack, earning an extra game was rather remarkable. The team opened with a meeting against nationally-ranked Nebraska and was tossed around and looked rather listless in a 52-10 setback. The following week Nevada suffered a 36-31 loss to Northwestern, also on the road, which put the possibility of a postseason in real jeopardy. Nevada earned a bit of a reprieve and gained some measure of confidence with a 52-17 blowout of Nicholls State at home and then took the Fremont Cannon with a 27-20 triumph over in-state rival UNLV. However, the Pack did itself no favors by scheduling Western Athletic Conference powers Fresno State and Boise State in back-to-back weeks. The contest with the Bulldogs at home left Nevada with a 49-41 loss, but the BSU meeting provided for one of the most exciting games in college football, a four-overtime decision that fell in favor of Boise on the blue turf, 69-67.

Despite the Wolf Pack going 0-2 in the conference, those first two WAC outings saw the arrival of quarterback Colin Kaepernick who not only threw for a total of seven touchdowns and ran for three more, he kept from throwing a single interception in the team's makeshift pistol offense. In fact Kaepernick, who went on to win WAC Freshman of the Year honors, didn't throw an interception until the ninth game of the season and ended up with 19 passing scores and six on the ground, compared to a mere three picks overall. Three straight wins over Utah State, Idaho and New Mexico State were nothing unusual, but the ability of the Pack to stay within two points of nationally-ranked Hawaii (28-26) in the middle of November gave the team reason to believe they could compete.

2008 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: "Kaep(ernick) will run the ones, there is no quarterback controversy at the University of Nevada," coach Ault has made clear. "What you do with Kaepernick, who played the final eight games and went through spring football, is take him and try to develop him to the capacity of going from being a thrower to a passer...the difference between the two is your ability to anticipate where you're throwing the ball, your completion percentage, your ability to move the ball around." As strong as Kaepernick came on last year and impressed countless opponents with his poise both in and out of the pocket, junior signal-caller Nick Graziano is still on the radar. However, the fact that Graziano could not participate in spring ball means the advantage lies with Kaepernick. More than just a passer, Kaepernick adds a huge dimension to the offense with his feet, placing second on the unit a year ago with his nearly 600 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

If it is not Kaepernick running or passing the ball, the pigskin will in all likelihood be in the hands of First-Team All-WAC performer Luke Lippincott who posted a career-best 1,420 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago as he led the conference in rushing and provided the Wolf Pack with another offensive option to keep defenses honest. Due to the fact that he also reeled in 26 balls for an additional 295 yards and three touchdowns, it is easy to see how the running back earned himself preseason All-WAC honors.

"One of the stronger spots on our football team I believe is our running backs," declares coach Ault. "Luke Lippincott, who led the conference in rushing last year, I think is one of the best every-down backs in the west coast. He is a self-motivated player, he's a leader on our team, he's really what Nevada football is all about."

Although he has been slowed by injuries during his time in Reno, junior back Brandon Fragger will have his share of opportunities to spell Lippincott when the punishing runner needs a break. It might be tough for the running backs to live up to expectations however, seeing as how Nevada as a unit ranked first in the Western Athletic Conference and 12th in the nation a year ago with an average of more than 214 ypg on the ground.

DEFENSE: With just four returning starters on the defensive side of the ball, there has to be concern in terms of a lack of experience in a league that throws the ball with reckless abandon time and time again. Of those four returning starters, one of them missed about half of 2007 after suffering a knee injury versus Utah State.

Now a senior, linebacker Joshua Mauga expects to be back and ready to go in the middle of the field for the Wolf Pack and has people convinced that he's again one of the top players at his position in the WAC despite coming back from injury. A preseason All-WAC selection, Mauga tied for second on the team a year ago for total tackles with 82. But as promising as Mauga's comeback may be, the loss of Ezra Butler cannot be understated after he led the unit in total tackles (93), tackles for loss (13.5), interceptions (three) and forced fumbles (three).

"After last season I decided we needed to go a different way," coach Ault has noted about the lack of pressure the team was able to produce in the trenches last season. "I'm a guy who that's been used to a four-man front so we've gone back to a four-man front."

Trying to get past the legacy of Butler will be Jerome Johnson and most likely Adam Liranzo as they join Mauga in the middle of the field. Closer to the line of scrimmage the Wolf Pack is switching to a four-man front in order to increase the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Key to that objective will be sophomores Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch, the former posting 11.5 TFLs all by himself a year ago.

The secondary appears to pose the biggest question for Nevada heading into the campaign, even with the experience of senior Uche Anyanwu and junior Jonathon Amaya. With very few players with experience shooting for the safety positions there's a good chance that any one of several newcomers to the program could win a starting job, which has to be a scary prospect heading into the season.

Ault is well aware of the challenges awaiting the group, "If we're going to have a chance to compete for a championship, our secondary not only has to get better, but we've got to play with a better attitude back there."

SPECIAL TEAMS: Although he's slated to play backup at one of the wideout positions on offense, junior Arthur King should be up to the task of returning kickoffs, while junior Dwayne Sanders, another backup at wide receiver, handles punt returns in 2008 for a squad that placed last in the conference and 87th in the nation with an average just above seven yards per punt return a year ago. Not only was returning a punt an issue for the Pack last season, getting them off themselves was also a concern as the team averaged 32.1 net yards per effort, seventh in the league and 106th in the country. Zachary Whited handled the majority of the punting last year and has left that responsibility this time around up to sophomore Brad Langley, a transfer from American River College in California. The more solid aspect of the kicking game is senior Brett Jaekle who set personal bests for most PATs and field goals made, as well as a career long for a successful field goal. During spring drills Jaekle handled the punting duties as well, so don't be surprised if you see him taking a turn or two if the situation calls for it.

OUTLOOK: The Pack has a total of six home games this season, set in back-to- back weeks three times this season so at least the squad can comfortable settling in at Mackey Stadium. The squad opens with Grambling State at the end of August on their home turf and then entertain a high-powered Texas Tech squad that will test Nevada's secondary every chance it gets. A trip to Missouri in the third week will be the first of three straight road tests for the Wolf Pack, with a meeting against UNLV and one versus Idaho in the WAC opener to follow. Home bouts versus New Mexico State and Utah State should land in the win column, as should a San Jose State meeting in the middle of November, leaving trips to both Hawaii and Fresno State, as well as the final home game of the season versus Boise State to tell the tale.