4. College Football News Preview 2020: Nevada Wolf Pack Defense 3 Things To Know
– Defense hasn’t always been a given at Nevada over the years. There’s been little consistency, and when there were problems, they were major. Last year, though, the D did had its moments. It was good against the run, mediocre against the pass, and didn’t generate enough pressure.
New defensive coordinator Brian Ward gets everyone back on the defensive front in the 3-3-5, with decent enough size to get by and whole lot of depth to fold into the rotation. Now someone besides junior Dom Peterson on the outside has to get behind the line.
– The linebacking corps was okay, but not it has to replace two starters and needs senior Lawson Hall to do even more on in the middle of the whole thing. There isn’t a whole lot of proven depth around Hall, but there’s some size ready to fill in.
– For good and for bad, the secondary made a whole lot of plays last year. Safety Tyson Williams is a feisty 5-9, 195-pound safety who led the team with 85 tackles, and he’s got help around him with a deep and promising group of defensive backs returning. The secondary held its own for the most part – it didn’t give up a 300-yard passing day after allowing four in the first six games – but it needs more help from the pass rush.