FACTS & STATS: Site: Mackay Stadium (31,900) -- Reno, Nevada. Television: None. Home Record: SJSU 3-2, Nevada 2-2. Away Record: SJSU 3-2, Nevada 3-2. Neutral Record: SJSU 0-0, Nevada 0-0. Conference Record: SJSU 4-2, Nevada 3-2. Series Record: Nevada leads, 12-8-2.

GAME NOTES: The Nevada Wolf Pack tries to throw its hat into the ring of teams that are bowl eligible this season as they confront the San Jose State Spartans in a Western Athletic Conference showdown in Reno this weekend. The last month has seen Nevada struggle with continuity, but last Friday night the team put it all together in a 41-28 victory against Fresno State on the road. The win was the second in the last three outings and pushed the program to 3-2 in league play, good enough for a tie for third place in the standings with Louisiana Tech. As for the Spartans, they're still holding onto second place in the WAC despite losing for the second time in the last three games. SJSU went from defeating Idaho on the road in Moscow by six points a week earlier to bowing to LaTech at home in a 21-0 shutout, the first time the Bulldogs have held an opponent scoreless in the last 148 tries. At 6-4 the Spartans have already made themselves available for the postseason, but a couple of wins down the stretch would certainly strengthen their position for consideration. Heading into last season's affair, Nevada had won five in a row over the Spartans, but SJSU turned the tables slightly with a 27-24 triumph at home, marking just the third win in the last 11 meetings for the Spartans.

The San Jose State offense sputtered along as it gained a mere 30 yards rushing on 28 attempts and another 118 yards passing, with one of the two interceptions thrown by Myles Eden being returned 50 yards for a score by the LaTech defense. Unable to find a suitable performer in the pocket for all 60 minutes, head coach Dick Tomey had to resort to tossing Eden, Kyle Reed and Sean Flynn at the Bulldogs, all to no avail. The lack of offense has been a huge problem for the Spartans this season. Consider that the team's top performance came against San Diego State in a 35-10 outing in the third game of the season. While that score looks impressive, take into account that the Aztecs are 110th in the country in scoring defense and it no longer appears so strong an effort. The Spartans are producing a mere 19.7 ppg mainly because the squad is posting just 291.6 ypg of total offense, a number that is not only last in the WAC, it is 110th in the country as well. The inability to lean on one particular passer has resulted in the team ranking seventh in the conference with a passing efficiency rating of 116.01.

The defense for SJSU actually performed rather well, limiting the visitors to a mere 12 first downs and just 97 yards passing, but with the Spartans offense giving the team very little chance, it didn't make much of a difference. Duke Ihenacho and brother Carl placed first and second on the tackles chart for the Spartans with 11 and eight stops, respectively, while Jarron Gilbert continued to attack quarterbacks with another two sacks and four tackles for loss altogether. Gilbert is currently ranked second in the conference and tied for 12th in the nation in sacks per game with 0.9 per outing. More importantly, he is tops not only in the WAC, but in the entire nation in terms of TFLs with close to two per game now, even though he is far down on the tackles list for the Spartans overall with just 42 stops in 10 games. Not to be overlooked is Carl Ihenacho with his 15.5 TFLs, seven sacks and three forced fumbles, all of which have him on pace for all-conference recognition at the end of the campaign for a defense that ranks 18th in the nation with just 178 ypg allowed through the air.

Earning the WAC's Offensive Player of the Week honor didn't seem that hard for running back Vai Taua as he ran for a career-high 263 yards and landed in the end zone once on 28 attempts against Fresno State. Then again, the nation's top rushing attack was all over the Bulldogs as Nevada rolled up an astounding 472 yards on 61 attempts, leading to four touchdowns. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick accounted for 118 yards and two scores on the ground and another 128 yards and a score through the air for the victors. Combining both his arm and legs, Kaepernick is currently first in the WAC in total offense with 279.9 ypg. Other players in the nation may be putting up bigger numbers passing the ball, but in this case the sophomore is still learning how to become a well- rounded passer and not just someone who whips the ball down the field with all his might. ONce he gets that aspect of the game under control there's no telling how damaging he'll be to defenses. Thanks to his huge breakout effort, Taua is now first in the conference and sixth in the nation in rushing with 128.8 ypg, all of which actually makes someone like Kaepernick all the more dangerous.

Not only is Nevada tops in the nation in terms of a rushing offense, the school is also second in the country in stopping the opposition on the ground, allowing only 73.6 ypg. Fresno State managed to come up with 106 yards on 16 carries on Friday night, but at no time did the Pack appear to have lost its edge. The pass defense was exploited for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the Pack also picked off two Tom Brandstater passes along the way as well, one by Jonathon Amaya and the other Kevin Grimes. Amaya, who is second on the team after nine games with 41 tackles, is tied with Mo Harvey now for the team lead with three interceptions. While fumble recoveries seem to be few and far between in 2008 (a total of just four), the Pack has made intercepting passes rather routine with 12 picks, compared to just six for the opposition. As someone with two of the unit's nine forced fumbles, Dontay Moch has been shaking up the opposition to the tune of 8.5 sacks and 12.0 TFLs, both of which lead Nevada at the moment.

Nevada has had some tough breaks at home this season, but head coach Chris Ault is not on the sidelines for a third term for nothing. As long as the Wolf Pack doesn't have to resort to trying to pass the ball against the SJSU defense, the hometown squad should be well enough to get its sixth win of the campaign.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Nevada 31, San Jose State 20

Saturday, November 15th, 4:05 p.m. (et).