Nevada rolls at home, seeks first road win Saturday
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 10:31 pmPerfect at home, Nevada needs to be road warrior
Chad Hartley
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
The Nevada football team is a perfect 5-0 at home this year. The Wolf Pack has also been perfect on the road.
Perfectly awful.
In four road games this season, Nevada has lost by an average of 19.2 points to Louisiana Tech, San Diego State, UNLV and Hawaii. It will get a chance to end it’s six-game losing streak — the last win was Oct. 18, 2003 against Tulsa — on Saturday when it travels to Dallas to play SMU on Saturday.
“We are well aware of it,†defensive tackle Charles Wilson said. “Nobody needs to say anything about it.â€
But the fact that Nevada is 0-4 this year will get brought up this week, by the media and by the coaching staff.
“If you are ever going to be a contender for anything, you have to win on the road,†coach Chris Ault said. “It’s that simple.
Ault also said that this Pack team, riding its first three-game win streak since 1998, is decidedly better than it was when it lost those four road games, the last of which was Oct. 9 at Hawaii.
“We are a better team now, that is what has changed,†Ault said of the four road losses. “They were tougher opponents but we stunk. We just stunk. They were good opponents but that is no excuse. We just played very, very poorly. We are a better team now.â€
Running back Drew Robinson, who came off the bench to rush for 71 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday against San Jose State, echoed Ault’s sentiments.
“Playing on the road is tougher because it is a different environment, with hotel rooms and everything,†Robinson said. “And we have played some good teams on the road. And we weren’t really playing together as a cohesive unit in our road games. We have come a long way from that. We haven’t traveled in five weeks so I think there will be definitely some mentions of it this week to keep our focus.â€
The Pack will have the momentum of that win streak when it heads in to Gerard J. Ford Stadium in Dallas to face the 2-7 Mustangs.
“We have turned it around at home so I think that is the biggest thing,†Wilson said. “We have the momentum now.
“(But) nothing feels good like being at home. For me, I am really comfortable on our home field. I know that field. I know it inch-by-inch. Going away, you don’t have the support like we do at home.â€
Chad Hartley
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
The Nevada football team is a perfect 5-0 at home this year. The Wolf Pack has also been perfect on the road.
Perfectly awful.
In four road games this season, Nevada has lost by an average of 19.2 points to Louisiana Tech, San Diego State, UNLV and Hawaii. It will get a chance to end it’s six-game losing streak — the last win was Oct. 18, 2003 against Tulsa — on Saturday when it travels to Dallas to play SMU on Saturday.
“We are well aware of it,†defensive tackle Charles Wilson said. “Nobody needs to say anything about it.â€
But the fact that Nevada is 0-4 this year will get brought up this week, by the media and by the coaching staff.
“If you are ever going to be a contender for anything, you have to win on the road,†coach Chris Ault said. “It’s that simple.
Ault also said that this Pack team, riding its first three-game win streak since 1998, is decidedly better than it was when it lost those four road games, the last of which was Oct. 9 at Hawaii.
“We are a better team now, that is what has changed,†Ault said of the four road losses. “They were tougher opponents but we stunk. We just stunk. They were good opponents but that is no excuse. We just played very, very poorly. We are a better team now.â€
Running back Drew Robinson, who came off the bench to rush for 71 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday against San Jose State, echoed Ault’s sentiments.
“Playing on the road is tougher because it is a different environment, with hotel rooms and everything,†Robinson said. “And we have played some good teams on the road. And we weren’t really playing together as a cohesive unit in our road games. We have come a long way from that. We haven’t traveled in five weeks so I think there will be definitely some mentions of it this week to keep our focus.â€
The Pack will have the momentum of that win streak when it heads in to Gerard J. Ford Stadium in Dallas to face the 2-7 Mustangs.
“We have turned it around at home so I think that is the biggest thing,†Wilson said. “We have the momentum now.
“(But) nothing feels good like being at home. For me, I am really comfortable on our home field. I know that field. I know it inch-by-inch. Going away, you don’t have the support like we do at home.â€