Nevada-Reno looks to halt skid Saturday against UNLV

Jace Radke

Monday, Sept. 27, 1999 | 11:15 a.m.

RENO -- Nevada-Reno head coach Jeff Tisdel doesn't know what the problem is. But he has set kickoff Saturday against UNLV as a deadline for the Wolf Pack to wake up from its nightmare season.

"Next week's our season," Tisdel said Saturday after Fresno State dropped UNR to 0-4 on the year with a 49-24 rout. "We've backed ourselves so far into a corner that we need a win just to get some confidence.

"Next Saturday is the day it has to get done."

Tisdel and his staff have been searching for remedies to halt the Wolf Pack's four game slide, which has the team off to its worst start since losing four games to open the 1982 season.

"I'm trying to put my finger on it," Tisdel said. "Everybody has an opinion on what's wrong, and I'm searching for answers myself."

UNR has had the answers for UNLV the last four years, beating the Rebels by an average of 22 points. But this season it has been the Wolf Pack on the losing end of lopsided scores.

Two weeks ago, Oregon cruised to a 72-10 win over UNR.

Nevada-Reno gave up 562 yards to Oregon including 272 yards rushing. The poor tackling continued against Fresno State as the Bulldogs piled up 547 yards including 348 on the ground.

An example of Nevada-Reno's defensive problems came with 4:59 left in the first quarter Saturday as Fresno State fullback Derrick Ward took a handoff up the middle and found himself hemmed in by three UNR defenders. Instead of being dropped for a loss, Ward bounced out of three arm tackles and outran the UNR secondary for an 86-yard touchdown.

Special teams miscues, including a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, helped put UNR in a 20-0 first quarter hole against Fresno State.

The Wolf Pack also had an extra-point attempt blocked, missed another and could not convert on either of its two-point conversion tries.

Coming into the game UNR sophomore punter Norm Brady was eighth in the nation averaging 45.5 yards a punt, but he shanked punts of 28, 10 and seven yards against the Bulldogs.

Despite the poor tackling and special teams, UNR's combination of sophomore quarterback David Neill and senior wideout Trevor Insley continued to click.

Neill threw for 376 yards and connected with Insley for a 36-yard touchdown against the Bulldogs. Insley finished with 12 catches for 205 yards, giving him 56 catches and 805 yards in UNR's four losses.

Insley, who leads the nation in receptions and receiving yardage, can't believe the Wolf Pack's predicament.

"If you would have told us we'd be in this position at the start of the year, I don't think anyone would have believed it," Insley said. "UNLV is a big game every year, and that may be in the back of our heads, but right now we just need to get a win.

"We haven't shown anyone anything yet."

Tisdel said there would be pressure no matter who his team was facing this week.

"We feel pressure to win every game," Tisdel said. "UNLV is obviously better then they have been, but I can't say it any plainer then next week is our season."