This preview is the third of a 12-part series breaking down the upcoming KU football schedule.
This week’s edition of the Booth Breakdown zooms in on Nevada, the Jayhawks’ first road test of the season and the final nonconference foe on the schedule.
Nevada falls somewhere in the middle of Missouri State and Illinois — two very different programs exposed to KU during Weeks 1 and 2 — after a discouraging 2-10 start in Ken Wilson’s first year as head coach of the Wolf Pack.
Wilson, most recently a defensive coordinator at Oregon and longtime assistant coach for Chris Ault at Nevada, opened his head coaching tenure at Nevada with a 2-0 start before losing 10 consecutive games to close the year.
Defensively, Nevada stood near the top of the Mountain West in takeaways with 11 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries. Additionally, the Wolf Pack ranked in the national top 50 in red zone defense (47th) and tackles for loss (43rd).
A key part of that defensive uptick was sixth-year defensive back Bentlee Sanders, the team’s leading tackler (with 81) in 2022.
With the First Team All-Mountain West selection out the door, Nevada will look to returning third-year linebackers Drue Watts and Naki Mateialona to leap forward. Additionally, Wilson added Utah defensive back transfer Caine Savage to aid the transition.
Flipping the field, Nevada’s offense will return a familiar face in the pocket. Third-year quarterback Shane Illingworth will be making his case for the starting job this fall after throwing for 761 yards and two touchdowns through five starts last year.
Illingworth, who competed directly with fifth-year quarterback Nate Cox last season, will be challenged by Colorado transfer Brendon Lewis. A former four-star recruit, Lewis entered the portal last October after starting all 12 games for the Buffaloes in 2021.
While the QB job takes shape, Nevada can expect some upperclassman talent to accommodate whoever’s taking snaps for the Wolf Pack.
Fifth-year senior Dalevon Campbell and senior Jamaal Bell will be at the front of the room after leading receiver B.J. Casteel burned his final year of eligibility in 2022. Campbell and Bell produced 738 combined receiving yards last year.
Nevada, without its top three rushers from last season, went to the portal to replace outgoing rushing leader Toa Taua. Oregon transfer Sean Dollars will undoubtedly compete for the No. 1 job right away, coming to Reno, Nevada, after playing in all 12 games of his redshirt junior season, averaging 5.5 yards a carry with 188 total yards and a touchdown.
Additionally, California transfer Ashton Hayes returns to his home state after appearing in four games with the Golden Bears last year. As a freshman, Hayes returned six kicks for 115 yards and took one touch for 14 yards during his college debut against Arizona.
Outside of challenges posed by the roster, KU’s Week 3 matchup kicks off at 9:30 p.m. CT — a considerably late start by any visiting team’s standards — and will be the first-ever meeting between the KU and Nevada programs.