Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

A dropped pass here, an overthrow there, a special teams letdown, a missed tackle (or three). Nevada had its chances, but detail work did the Wolf Pack in yesterday at the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl. Maryland was steady and consistent--and goes back across the country today with a 42-35 win in its pocket. Everyone noticed those details, because on the surface Nevada played a very respectable game. You'd look at Colin Kaepernick and think, "Gee that guy needs to work on his throwing." Then you look up and see that he passed for an H-Bowl record 370 yards. It was the cumulative effect of those plays that went astray that sends the Pack into the offseason with a 7-6 record...and gives the WAC a 1-4 showing in bowl season.

The theory was Maryland wouldn't have enough passion to spend on the Humanitarian Bowl. Then the Terrapins arrived, and they appeared to be having a good time. Too good a time as it turns out, at least for a handful of them. Coach Ralph Friedgen suspended seven players for breaking curfew Sunday night--some were nixed from the starting lineup, some for the entire first half. The most noticeable was Da'Rel Scott, the Terps' leading rusher who was benched until the third quarter. All Scott did was run for 174 yards and two touchdowns in less than 20 minutes to earn H-Bowl MVP honors. Maryland had been hanging in there without Scott. Morgan Green, who hadn't carried the ball in three months, ran for 72 yards, including a 53-yard TD.

Nevada coach Chris Ault chalked the loss up to the big plays given up by his defense, something that plagued the Wolf Pack all season long. Seemed like every time the Pack grabbed momentum, it was sapped by a Terrapin game-changer, particularly Scott in the second half. "He just ran through us like we weren't there," said Ault. (Did I mention tackling?) Another factor, though, was the lack of running by the normally nimble-footed Kaepernick. The WAC Offensive Player of the Year lost that ability when he tweaked an ankle during a hard sack with six minutes left in the first half. Kaepernick, a thousand-yard rusher, was limited to a net 15 yards on the ground.

The game featured the most bizarre special teams sequence you'll ever see, coming on three consecutive special teams plays in the first quarter. First there was a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Maryland's Torrey Smith, breaking the 10-year-old H-Bowl record set by Idaho's Jerome Thomas. Then, the Wolf Pack was forced to burn a timeout when it was short three players (count 'em, three) on the extra point. And on the ensuing kickoff, the wind blew the ball off the tee at the last second, but Terrapins kicker Obi Egekeze's foot was already in motion, and he booted a line drive 10 yards right into the arms of Nevada's Andy McIntosh. It was returned to the Maryland nine-yard-line (the Terps got out of that pickle with its first interception of Kaepernick).

Presumably most of the Boise State coaches were enjoying the H-Bowl yesterday. Now the waiting game--we'll see if the Bronco staff stays together another year. Incredibly, there's been just one change in three years under Chris Petersen. That was after his first season, when offensive line coach Sean Kugler departed for the Buffalo Bills. But Petersen was able to get a former BSU colleague back, as Chris Strausser returned from a year at Colorado. Bryan Harsin and Justin Wilcox are the two of the hottest names out there. Matt Hayes of The Sporting News has Harsin, the BSU offensive coordinator and Boise native, at No. 2 on his list of guys who'll be ready for head coaching jobs after next season. Wilcox, the D-coordinator, had a great 2008 season. He loves Boise...but he's still single...

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, the 2005 H-Bowl Offensive MVP for Boston College, was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year yesterday by the Associated Press. A guy who played against him for Boise State that day in Bronco Stadium, Denver's Ryan Clady, was third in the voting. And the East Carolina running back who torched BSU a year ago in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Tennessee's Chris Johnson, was second. Ryan dominated the balloting--he had 44 votes to three for Johnson and two for Clady.

Well, DeWayne Walker has decided to be the next coach to give New Mexico State a try. The Aggies will introduce the UCLA defensive coordinator as their new head man at a press conference today. NMSU couldn't get over the hump with Hal Mumme, fired early this month after finishing his fourth season with seven straight losses. The Aggies have had only four winning seasons in the last 41 years and have gone the longest of any FBS team without a bowl appearance--since the 1960 Sun Bowl.

Steve Gainey has proven to be been the best get of the offseason for Idaho Steelheads coach Derek Laxdal. Gainey had taken two seasons off from hockey to deal with a family tragedy, joining the Steelheads four days before the season started. The 29-year-old left wing was promptly named assistant captain by Laxdal. Now Gainey has been named a starter for the National Conference next month in the ECHL All-Star Game. He's tied with Marty Flichel for the Steelheads' season scoring lead at 29 points. Steelies rookie Matt Stephenson, currently playing for the AHL's Manitoba Moose, also made the National Conference squad.

The Nevada basketball team cashes in on a scheduling coup tonight with a New Year's Eve date against top-ranked North Carolina in the Lawlor Events Center. The Wolf Pack may be a pretty good team by the time the WAC season winds down, but it's too early in their development to expect a lot against the Tar Heels. Nevada is only 7-5 and is coming off a 68-63 nailbiting win over Idaho State--four nights after the Bengals lost by 35 points at Arizona State. After beating Rutgers 97-75 last Sunday, Carolina is 12-0 and hasn't won be fewer than 15 points this season.

This Day In Sports...December 31, 2004:

In the highest-profile game to date in Boise State history, the Broncos are seriously outgained by high-powered Louisville but still have a chance to knock off the Cardinals on the final play of the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. A Jared Zabransky Hail-Mary was picked off in the endzone to ensure Louisville's 44-40 victory in a matchup of two Top 10 teams. The game had been billed as the second-best of the entire bowl season; and it did not disappoint. For BSU, it was the end of an amazing 22-game winning streak that produced the Broncos' highest national ranking ever to that point.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB's Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 1350 KTIK/The Ticket. He also handles color commentary on KTVB's telecasts of Boise State football.)

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