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RENO - Nevada coach Chris Ault makes no bones about it. He's steamed about the Pack's woeful performance on special teams.
Entering Saturday's game against Hawaii at Mackay Stadium (1:05 p.m. kickoff), the Pack was ranked last in the Western Athletic Conference with a 15.7 average on kickoff returns.
"We're going to look at it," Ault said during Monday's weekly teleconference. "It's pathetic. Not disappointing, it's pathetic. It's a combination of the guy returning the ball and the blocking. We're looking. It's still early in the week."
The Pack has been using wide receiver Kyle Sammons, and he returned five kicks for about a 14-yard average. Tommy Haug had one return for 19 yards.
With the defensive secondary already thin because of a multitude of injuries, Ault may not use any of them to return kickoffs. Running backs Robert Hubbard, Kyle Eklund and Haug certainly are possibilities.
The Pack's punt coverage has been just average. Nevada ranks eighth in net punting with a 30.7 average, yielding nearly eight yards per return. Punter Justin Bergendahl is second in the conference with a 41.8 average.
Quinton Jones had a big 47-yard return Saturday, setting up a second-half touchdown for Boise State.
Big week for Spencer
This is a huge game not only for the Wolf Pack, but for junior wide receiver Caleb Spencer, who grew up in Hawaii.
Spencer wasn't recruited by UH out of high school, and played junior college ball in San Diego at Palomar College. He certainly would love to prove to Hawaii coaches that they missed out on a pretty good wide receiver.
Spencer has enjoyed a nice year, catching 41 passes for 551 yards and four scores, including a 43-yard TD reception last weekend against Boise State in a 49-14 loss.
"He's done a nice job," Ault said. "He's probably our most improved receiver, and up until last week he was getting better every game. He's certainly one of our top three."
Will the trend continue?
One thing Nevada has in its favor is that Hawaii isn't the greatest road team, and the Rainbow Warriors have never won at Mackay Stadium.
There is an interesting trend going. Hawaii has beaten Nevada in the even-numbered years 2000, 2002 and 2004. Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack won in 2001 (28-20) and in 2003 (24-10). A Nevada win this year would not only tie the series at 3, but would keep the even-odd trend alive.
Also, Hawaii needs to buck the trend and keep its bowl hopes alive. At 3-5, the Rainbow Warriors must win out to be bowl eligible.
Entering Saturday's game against Hawaii at Mackay Stadium (1:05 p.m. kickoff), the Pack was ranked last in the Western Athletic Conference with a 15.7 average on kickoff returns.
"We're going to look at it," Ault said during Monday's weekly teleconference. "It's pathetic. Not disappointing, it's pathetic. It's a combination of the guy returning the ball and the blocking. We're looking. It's still early in the week."
The Pack has been using wide receiver Kyle Sammons, and he returned five kicks for about a 14-yard average. Tommy Haug had one return for 19 yards.
With the defensive secondary already thin because of a multitude of injuries, Ault may not use any of them to return kickoffs. Running backs Robert Hubbard, Kyle Eklund and Haug certainly are possibilities.
The Pack's punt coverage has been just average. Nevada ranks eighth in net punting with a 30.7 average, yielding nearly eight yards per return. Punter Justin Bergendahl is second in the conference with a 41.8 average.
Quinton Jones had a big 47-yard return Saturday, setting up a second-half touchdown for Boise State.
Big week for Spencer
This is a huge game not only for the Wolf Pack, but for junior wide receiver Caleb Spencer, who grew up in Hawaii.
Spencer wasn't recruited by UH out of high school, and played junior college ball in San Diego at Palomar College. He certainly would love to prove to Hawaii coaches that they missed out on a pretty good wide receiver.
Spencer has enjoyed a nice year, catching 41 passes for 551 yards and four scores, including a 43-yard TD reception last weekend against Boise State in a 49-14 loss.
"He's done a nice job," Ault said. "He's probably our most improved receiver, and up until last week he was getting better every game. He's certainly one of our top three."
Will the trend continue?
One thing Nevada has in its favor is that Hawaii isn't the greatest road team, and the Rainbow Warriors have never won at Mackay Stadium.
There is an interesting trend going. Hawaii has beaten Nevada in the even-numbered years 2000, 2002 and 2004. Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack won in 2001 (28-20) and in 2003 (24-10). A Nevada win this year would not only tie the series at 3, but would keep the even-odd trend alive.
Also, Hawaii needs to buck the trend and keep its bowl hopes alive. At 3-5, the Rainbow Warriors must win out to be bowl eligible.
