Wolf Pack focused on January

RENO -- According to the schedule, Nevada's football season ends Nov. 29 with a Western Athletic Conference game at Boise State.

The Wolf Pack went through their first drills on Wednesday looking further than that.

"I was supposed to get married on Jan. 3, but when the Humanitarian Bowl was moved to the same day, I changed the date of the wedding," senior wide receiver Tim Fleming said. "Playing in a bowl game is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so this is a very important goal to me, and a very realistic one. That's the kind of expectations we have coming into this year."

While the Wolf Pack will need to win the WAC championship to receive that invitation to play in the Humanitarian Bowl, there was an abundance of optimism when players and coaches turned out for media/autograph night at newly renovated Wolf Pack Park.

"Every team in our conference would like to play in the Humanitarian Bowl," said Chris Tormey, who is entering his fourth season as head coach at Nevada with 18 returning starters.

"Nine of those guys will be four-year starters now, which is unusual to have that kind of experience."

Running back Chance Kretschmer, who led the nation in rushing with 1,732 yards as a freshman in 2001, was one returnee who attracted considerable attention on the first day of drills. It was his first day back after going down with a torn ACL in his left knee against BYU in the second game last season.

"This morning went well," said Kretschmer, a product of Tonopah. "This was my first day back. Ten months is a long time, so it was good to go out and do some running. I ran through some drills and the knee felt real good."

Nevada opens its season Aug. 30 under the lights at home against Southern Utah. The game at Mackay Stadium is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. kickoff.

Kretschmer and sophomore B.J. Mitchell, along with four returning starters on the offensive line, figure to give Nevada a formidable running game. Throw in a solid receiving corps -- including Fleming, Nichiren Flowers, Maurice Mann, plus prize junior college transfers Willie Johnson and Dell McGee -- and the Wolf Pack has the potential to put a solid and balanced offense on the field.

One question mark will be at quarterback, where Jeff Rowe, Andy Heiser and Travis Moore are competing for the right to replace Zack Threadgill, who threw for 3,418 yards and 26 TDs last season.

"It looks solid. We have three players there and each has their own individual strengths," Tormey said. "We'll see how it goes the next 10 days, make a choice and go from there."

Rowe comes into the preseason as No. 1 on the depth chart after he played in six games as a true freshman last year. Rowe, a McQueen High School graduate, is bidding to become the first local quarterback to start for Nevada since Jeff Ardito in 1980.

"I think it's exciting," Rowe said. "I'm excited to have an opportunity to play in front of the hometown crowd. I'm just excited about playing. I've been waiting to play college football my whole life."

The goal is to start the season with a confirmed starter, as opposed to a quarterback committee.

"We could end up doing that, but that's not my preference," Tormey said.

While the offense looks promising, don't overlook a defense that returns 10 starters.

"We were improved on defense last year, but we've got to be more consistent this year," Tormey said. "When you look at our conference, there are a lot of teams that can move the football so you've got to be able to at least slow them down."

Defensive end Jorge Cordova, a fourth-year senior veteran in the program, has been touted as the preseason WAC Defensive Player of the Year. Inside linebacker Logan Carter was named by The Sporting News last year as WAC Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.

"Our defense is real together, real experienced," Carter said. "I think it's our time to shine. It's time to be a defensive school."

And, if all goes well, a school in a bowl game.