Cal at Nevada Final Statistics

	1	2	3	4	T
CAL	7	7	10	7	31
NEV	7	17	14	14	52

Team Stat Comparison

	California	Nevada
1st Downs	22	26
3rd down efficiency	7-11	6-9
4th down efficiency	0-1	0-0
Total Yards	502	497
Passing	277	181
Comp-Att	23-37	10-15
Yards per pass	7.5	12.1
Rushing	225	316
Rushing Attempts	30	49
Yards per rush	7.5	6.4
Penalties	7-40	5-45
Turnovers	3	1
Fumbles lost	0	1
Interceptions thrown	3	0
Possession	23:01	36:59

I have to say, the Wolf Pack team I saw Friday night was unlike any I've seen in a good, long time: the rush offense was spectacular; the passing game was methodical and ruthless; the defense...ah, while not perfect that defense was something special in the annals of Wolf Packdom. 

The Dark Side of the Defense
There are a few things that stand out in this week's statistics; given the opponent these stats could have been much, much worse. 

• The defense allowed an otherwise mortifying 502 total yards of offense to the Golden Bears. They allowed Cal to convert 63.63% on third down.
• They allowed Riley to complete 62.162% of his passes for the game.
• Cal had no fewer than 8 players with at least one reception. 
• Those eight combined for a respectable 277 yards.
• Shane Vreen had a career night, raking in 198 yards on 19 carries (avg. 10.421).
• Cal averaged 7.5 yards per reception, the highest for a Nevada opponent so far this season.
• They gave up 22 first downs.

The Bright Side of the Defense
Those stats, including 502 total yards and a 62.162% completion rate, have to be taken with a grain of salt.  That salt comes in the form of stats such as:

• Three interceptions, including a 65-yard pick 6 that changed the course of the game.
• Shane Vreen: 198 yards; their next leading rusher had 18 yards.
• Kevin Riley sacked twice.
• Cal scored only once through the air.
• Cal was 0-1 on 4th down.

So, really, the stats for the defense don't speak well.  What made the difference?  They played with a soul and an aggression seldom seen by that corps.  Of three interceptions, the first only prolonged the game (Nevada punted and Vreen scored on the next play from scrimmage); the second, when all was looking dark on the east sideline, swung momentum back to the Wolf Pack; the third officially iced the game.

Oh...and a time of possession of 23:01...that helps, too.

Cal's passing game should be read in two segments: the game before 7:36 in the 4th, and the game after, this being the time when the Bears began running their hurry-up offense late in the game.

Before 7:36: Riley was 13/21 (61.905%) with 2 picks, completions of 9, 1, 24, 16, 10, 16, 10, 9, 32, 8, 7, 3, & 8 respectively (152 yards, avg. 11.69).

After 7:36: Riley was 10/13 (76.923%) with 1 pick, completions of 11, 13, 9, 39, 4, 6, 18, 14, 8, & 3 respectively (125 yards, avg. 12.5).

That drive, at 7:36 led to a touchdown.  Thing was, it didn't really matter at that point.  Sure, Cal had a chance of scoring three touchdowns in seven-and-a-half minutes, but...they HAD TO SCORE THREE TOUCHDOWNS IN SEVEN-AND-A-HALF MINUTES.  The touchdown cut the Nevada lead to 45-31.  It was quickly getting to the point were those passing yards meant very little.

Besides, the sooner they score the sooner the Pack could get the ball back and take some time off the clock.  Or Kaep could just rush 27 yards and erase that Cal touchdown...that would work, too.

Long story short: the defense was scrappy and came up huge when it needed to.  The passing yards allowed need to be taken into context and weighed against three interceptions (two of which were crucial).

It was also nice to see the passing game come to life; some of those passes were blood-curdling, and some of those catches were breathtaking...excitement, she wrote!

And Kaep looked like I've never seen; that was just...wow.

This next game may be even bigger; BYU on their turf after a huge win?  If they can build on the things they did in this game then they have a realistic shot...but that's for another story.

Good win, Pack...and thank you.