Desire to make something happen costly for Kap

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Perhaps the key to Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick's recent struggles lies in Friday's opponent.


It was a little more than a year ago when Nevada played in Columbia, Mo., and was thoroughly dismantled by then-sixth-ranked Missouri, 69-17.

Despite the score, Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault had this to say about Kaepernick in the week that followed the game: "Kap, I thought, played OK. The first half I thought he played very, very well. In the second half, I think he missed some reads and had some opportunities on the option. ... The pressure on him to make things happen, to keep Missouri off the field, was tough."

It was clear very early that day that the Pack defense was not going to stop the Tigers' vaunted offense. Kaepernick led the Pack to 237 yards in the first half. And after falling behind 38-17 at halftime, he took it upon himself to try to bring Nevada back.

A year later, the same urge might be surfacing again.

Ault said he didn't think Kaepernick, a 6-foot-6 junior and the reigning Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was pressing, but he thought he might have been trying to do too much when he committed three of the Pack's five turnovers in a 35-20 loss at Colorado State on Saturday.

When you're gifted like Kaepernick, it can be difficult to bridle yourself.

"It's very hard," Kaepernick said Monday. "Like Coach says, it's a gift and a curse. There are times when you feel you just need to make a play, try to spark the offense, things like that. When it comes down to it, it's a team game, and everybody has to do their part in order for a play to be made.

"Just trying to control it and knowing when the time is right to try to do something like that is what I need to be working on."

That eagerness to make a play might be a factor in what otherwise can only be described as horribly unlucky timing with fumbles. Over his past nine games, Kaepernick has had three fumbles, and all three have been extremely costly. The third one, Saturday, set the tone for a long day for Kaepernick and the Pack.# In a 31-31 tie with New Mexico State last season, he lost control of the snap. The ball was picked up by the Aggies and returned 83 yards for a touchdown. Nevada never led again and lost, 48-45.


# At Hawaii last year, he mishandled a snap on the opening possession, and the ball was returned nine yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Hawaii lead. The Warriors never trailed and went on to win, 38-31.

# And the fumbled pitch Saturday on the game's opening possession was recovered by the Rams on the Nevada 23. They scored five plays later.

Of course, it is only fair to point out that Kaepernick has played the lead role in some thrilling comeback victories over New Mexico State, Utah State, UNLV and Louisiana Tech in the past two years.

Ault said it was just a coincidence that the fumbles were poorly timed.

"The fumbled snap against New Mexico State, he might have been in a hurry to get going," Ault said. "You're still going to make mistakes. You're still going to throw bad balls. What I'm disappointed in is the inconsistency of the last game. The interception in the end zone, that was a bad one. He just completely misread it."

Ault said the first interception, in which he lofted about a 20-yard pass about five yards too long, was a poor throw but the right read. The mistake was compounded because another receiver ran the wrong route and brought the safety who ended up picking it off into the area.

"That's what I told Kap," he said. "'It's the touch. That's what you've got to work on. You had the right idea. You just overthrew him.'"

Kaepernick, whose completion percentage is actually up a bit (60.7) compared with last year (54.3), has four interceptions and just one TD pass this year. He and the offensive line have continued to face pretty strong pass rushing, too. Ault said the line has done a decent job picking up blitzes, but the extra pressure can cause disrupted timing in the passing game.

"We need to get better," offensive tackle Alonzo Durham said. "We have to make sure Kap doesn't get touched. When I'm looking back after he passes the ball, I don't want to see him on the ground. He's been on the ground too many times. We've got to step it up and (protect) better for him to make plays."

Ault reiterated what he said last week, that Kaepernick played "pretty decently" in the 35-0 loss at Notre Dame to open the season. And there were things he liked about Kaepernick on Saturday, too.

"Kap read the blitzes. There were 28 of them and he got it every time except one," Ault said. "That's very good. And I'm really pleased with the way he's delivering the ball.

"Last weekend, physically he just didn't play well. It happens."

Ault seems to be teetering on the ideas that, yes, it was just one game, a blip in an otherwise stellar career, and the desire to not dismiss it completely in the off chance that this funk -- that's what Ault called it after the loss Saturday -- might drag on and Ault has to be prepared for it. In the end, though, he settles on this.

"You're talking about a guy who was the player of the year in the conference," he said. "That says it all."

 

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Missouri punt returner looking for running room


It was Carl Gettis? first big punt return of the season. Early in the second quarter against Furman, Gettis broke away from the defense and returned the ball 19 yards.

It was the first return of more than 5 yards for Gettis, who hadn?t had much luck getting a seam to go anywhere on punt returns. But when he returned to the sideline, he still caught flak from a teammate because he got tackled by a lineman. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon thinks Gettis should be able to evade linemen, traditionally the slowest position on the field.




?I was joking with him a little bit because he got tackled by No. 75,? Weatherspoon said after practice Monday, raising his voice on the end of the sentence so the nearby Gettis could hear.

Gettis, a junior from O?Fallon, is a third-year starter at cornerback. He is in his first season returning punts at Missouri, taking over for Jeremy Maclin, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles. For Gettis, it?s a chance to touch the ball again. In high school, he spent much of his time on offense and had more than 2,000 all-purpose yards his senior year.

He was also his team?s punt returner in high school.

?It was a lot easier,? Gettis said. ?The balls were right to me. And the guys, they?re not really coming as fast like they are now. So you have a little bit more time to think about what you want to do.?

Gettis had practiced the position at Missouri but never played it in a game.

?I was eager to take it on because, just like I said, being on defense, I wanted to get a chance to get the ball in my hand again and run with the ball a little bit,? Gettis said.

But finding anywhere to run proved difficult. In the team?s opener against Illinois, Gettis had to call for a fair catch on three punts and returned a fourth for no gain.

?I guess you could say it was a little bit of a shock,? Gettis said. ?Because I was just a little bit surprised how fast it is, how much faster they get down there to the field and how much faster you have to make a decision whether you have to fair catch it or try to do something with it.?

Then, in the second quarter of the team?s comeback win against Bowling Green, Gettis, eager to move the ball, didn?t call for a fair catch. After returning the ball just 1 yard, Bowling Green?s Jahmal Brown forced a fumble that the Falcons recovered.

?Sometimes it is difficult,? Gettis said of calling a fair catch. ?Being on defense, you don?t really get the ball every play. So when you get a chance to get the ball in your hands, you just want to do something with it for your team.?

Others have taken on the responsibility of getting Gettis more room to run. For the season, Gettis has four returns for 21 yards.

?Most of the problems on rangers is never really your punt returner unless he drops the ball. That?s his problem,? junior Andrew Gachkar said. ?But really it?s the blocking that has a problem. We?re going to clean up the blocking for Carl. Everyone?s going to get a chance to see just how good he is at it.?

 

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Tonight's matchup: Tigers vs. Wolfpack


WHEN MISSOURI PASSES

Despite sluggish starts in the last two games, MU's passing game overall has been thriving with sophomore Blaine Gabbert leading the Big 12 in passing efficiency and seniors Danario Alexander and Jared Perry coming into their own after various setbacks following their promising freshman years. Nevada, meanwhile, is dead last among 120 FBS schools in pass efficiency defense and has allowed seven TD passes in two games.

WHEN MISSOURI RUNS

Second-team All-Big 12 tailback Derrick Washington rushed for 120 yards against Bowling Green and reserve Kendial Lawrence led MU with 77 of its 196 ground yards last week against Furman. Mizzou offensive coordinator Dave Yost suggested Nevada will test the young Gabbert in his first true road game and thus stack up against the run game.


WHEN NEVADA PASSES

Junior quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the 2008 WAC offensive player of the year, is a dual threat who last year became just the fifth major-college quarterback to throw for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 in the same season. But he's been off-kilter this season, losing a fumble and being intercepted twice in last week's 35-20 loss to Colorado State and throwing two interceptions in a 35-0 loss to Notre Dame. MU is improved but less than airtight against the pass, allowing 242 yards a game (86th in the nation).

WHEN NEVADA RUNS

Tailback Vai Taua is averaging 104.5 yards a game and 6.5 a carry, and Kaepernick remains a running threat . With All-Big 12 linebacker Sean Weatherspoon leading the team in tackles with 29, the Tigers are holding the opposition to 3.2 yards a carry and 105.67 a game on the ground, 40th in the FBS.

 

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Nevada looms as challenge for Tigers



As Mizzou sets out tonight at Nevada to add to its school-record 13-game nonconference winning streak and carry momentum into its upcoming Big 12 opener against Nebraska, the Tigers appear to have a substantial advantage over the Wolfpack.

MU not only crushed Nevada 69-17 last year in Columbia, but the Wolfpack also are 0-2, have scored fewer points all season than MU (3-0) racked up in less than eight minutes against Furman and have the worst turnover margin in the nation at minus 4 a game.

And rowdy as the crowd might be for the first true road game for a young Tiger team, Mackay Stadium holds less than 30,000.

But Nevada also is coming off four straight bowl seasons and is 15-3 at home in the second tour of duty for coach Chris Ault, the sixth-winningest active FBS coach with an overall record of 198-93-1. In the estimation of MU coach Gary Pinkel, Ault is one of the great coaches in college football history.


"He knows how to win," Pinkel said. "He knows how to run a program."

The Wolfpack's losses were 35-0 at Notre Dame (2-1 and a last-second TD against Michigan from being undefeated) and 35-20 to unblemished Colorado State (3-0). Nevada also is playing its home opener with a national TV audience and a chance to make a redemptive splash with a win over MU ? ranked 21st in the coaches' poll and hovering as the next team in The Associated Press version.

If Nevada can clean up the turnovers ? major "if" that that might be ? the Tigers figure to have a worthy challenge.

"We'll get their 'A' game," said Pinkel, adding, "We're going to find out about ourselves a little bit."

A victory would create a notable but likely fleeting footnote for MU. The Tigers are tied with five other schools for the most wins in the nation in the last two-plus seasons, 25. A 26th would stand alone until Saturday.

But that's a cosmetic matter for Mizzou, which has some ironing out of its own to do. Since the season-opening 37-9 stomping of Illinois, MU has played just two solid halves of football.

The Tigers fell behind Bowling Green 20-6 in the third quarter before rallying to win 27-20. Against Furman, MU led 42-0 at halftime but was outscored 12-10 in the second half.

The reason for the lapses against Furman, of course, were far more understandable than against Bowling Green. Halftime was spent sorting out substitution patterns, not figuring out how to try to win the game, and even if it frustrated Pinkel to see concentration suffer he acknowledged it was a reasonable development.

Still, Pinkel wants to see a return to the relentless intensity his team showed against Illinois ? what he called "the highest level." That doesn't guarantee victory, he noted, but it typically leads to a team playing its best at all times.

"That's our quest, to do that," he said.

That hasn't been the case in either of MU's last two starts, most acutely against Bowling Green but even evident in the first three series against Furman. On the first sequence alone, the Tigers dropped a pass and committed a penalty ? one of nine for 75 yards against the Paladins. They didn't get in gear until overcoming a 15-yard penalty with a 24-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert to Jerrell Jackson.

"It's (about) being ... very focused and disciplined, being able to handle stress, (being able) to handle distractions ... under any conditions and circumstances," he said.

Conditions and circumstances that could present themselves even more tonight, first impressions of Nevada notwithstanding.

"It will be a big deal (for Nevada)," Pinkel said.

 

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Mizzou beat writer answers five questions about the Tigers


Dave Matter, the Missouri beat writer for the Columbia Tribune, answered five questions about the Tigers in an exchange :


1. The Tigers lost some key players from 2008, namely QB Chase Daniel, WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Chase Coffman. How has the team done picking up where that team left off?

? Offensively, Missouri might never replace the production and skill of Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman, but so far, between Jared Perry and Danario Alexander, and in two of the three games wideout Wes Kemp, the pass-catching has been excellent. That was the one area where I expected the biggest drop-off, but those three, plus No. 4 wideout Jerrell Jackson, have been enough of a threat to give MU a dangerous passing threat. On defense, Missouri doesn?t have an interior lineman who?s as talented and productive as Ziggy Hood or a player in the secondary as skilled as departed safety William Moore. But the defense has played better as a group, especially when it comes to limiting big plays, which became its greatest weakness last season. And replacing the one player most figured would be impossible, NCAA record-setting kicker Jeff Wolfert, has been pretty easy so far. Out of nowhere, walk-on Grant Ressel is 14-for-14 on PATs and 6-for-6 on field goals.

2. Blaine Gabbert?s numbers appear to be right up there with Daniel?s from a year ago. Comparing the two, what does Gabbert do as well or even better than Daniel and in what areas does he still fall a bit short of Daniel?

? Gabbert?s arm strength is significantly better than Daniel?s, in both distance and velocity. In fact, Missouri coordinator David Yost told me he?s only seen one recruit in person in almost 20 years who owns a stronger arm, Arkansas? Ryan Mallett. Also, Gabbert?s much faster than Daniel and gives MU a legit running threat with the zone read option. I expected his accuracy to lag behind Daniel?s numbers, but so far he?s been more accurate (68 percent) than Daniel was at any time during his first year as a starter. And he?s already led as many second-half comebacks as Daniel did in his three years as MU?s starter. So, so far, so good. The one area he hasn?t really been tested yet is his ability to bounce back after taking a nasty hit in the pocket. Daniel never missed a start despite occasionally taking a beating back there. To me, that?s the one unanswered question with Gabbert: Can he stand in the face of a consistent pass rush and deliver big throws?

3. Given the blowout win of a year ago and the fact that three Top 25 teams are lined up to take on Mizzou after they play Nevada, is there any concern that the Tigers will look past Nevada?

? Considering Missouri?s relative youth, I?d say yes. But the fact that MU has a bye before its first Big 12 game, an enormous Thursday showdown at home against Nebraska, that probably worked in the coaches? favor as far as preparation. Also, MU came out sluggish and unfocused against Bowling Green and to a lesser extent Furman. Those were probably good reminders of what can happen if you look past any opponent, especially a dangerous one like Nevada. And facing a team with a known commodity like QB Colin Kaepernick probably helps Missouri stay focused, too, at least for the defense.

4. The Tigers appeared to overwhelm Illinois, then needed late-game heroics to beat Bowling Green. Can you put a finger on the personality of this team and which one (the one that faced Illinois or Bowling Green) this team is more apt to become?

? This team spent the whole summer fuming over the lowly national projections and some of the slights by the polls and preview magazines. And that was probably the best thing to happen to Missouri leading up to the Illinois game, against a team perceived to have more proven experience and established players. MU came into that game with an edge, and it was the most focused Pinkel?s ever seen a team in its season opener. A week later, Missouri?s suddenly considered a dangerous team, and some players might have gotten a little comfortable and lost that edge. Penalties and turnovers were an issue against Bowling Green. Against Furman, penalties were the only real problem. This doesn?t strike me as a team that?s learned to approach every game with that same locked-in concentration like it had in the first game, which is probably natural for a young team. But it?s a group that sort of embraces it?s no-name label; at least no-name compared to last year?s team that featured so many established stars.

5. Since these teams played a year ago, they?re familiar with personnel for the most part. Can you name two or three newcomers whom the Wolf Pack don?t know but could have big games?

? On offense, freshman tailback Kendial Lawrence is probably a more explosive, big-play threat than starter Derrick Washington, who?s still one of the better, more productive backs in the Big 12. Aldon Smith, a redshirt freshman defensive end, was virtually unblockable in preseason camp and has already made a handful of game-changing plays. He?ll also line up at defensive tackle on passing downs. Also on defense, linebacker Will Ebner is not officially a starter ? he comes in for starter Luke Lambert ? but he?s arguably been the third-best playmaker on defense the last few weeks. Just an explosive hitter who also plays on all the special teams.

Matter?s prediction: I?m going with Missouri, 34-21. Missouri?s offense might not have the star players of 2008, but it?s no less efficient and nearly as explosive. Nevada?s option might give MU some problems, as Illinois? did at times, but the Tigers will force Kaepernick to peck away with the underneath routes and count on some eventual turnovers.

 

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Nevada's focus shifts inward for home-opener

Like most college football coaches, Nevada's Chris Ault often says, "It's not about them, it's about us."


Despite the fact that a ranked team has the Wolf Pack in its crosshairs -- No. 21 Missouri (USA Today/ESPN poll) at 6 p.m. tonight in the Wolf Pack's home-opener at Mackay Stadium -- that notion might mean more this week than it ever has.

Through two games this season, the Wolf Pack has committed eight turnovers and forced none. It has been penalized 15 times (opponents, seven). And, not coincidentally, it has yet to win with losses at Notre Dame (35-0) and Colorado State (35-20).

"When we are making mistakes, they are critical," Ault said. "And it's just killing us."

Tonight's game has taken on added importance for the Wolf Pack simply because it must play well or risk the chance of this slow start burrowing into the team's subconscious.

"We've got to focus on ourselves and what we've got to get done so we can be a winning program like we usually have been," junior defensive end Kevin Basped said. "We just need to start fast and eliminate the errors. We've got to stay together and

fight on."

Ninth-year Tigers coach Gary Pinkel, who brought his Toledo team to Mackay in 1995, believes the Wolf Pack is ready to break out.

"I know we're excited to play. I know they're going to be," Pinkel said. "They've had a couple tough football games and had a lot of turnovers. They're a better football team then what their records have shown. Notre Dame and

Colorado State are good football teams.

"Their fans will be into it, I guarantee you. This is a good game for us, against a real good football team in a tough environment. We're going to find out about ourselves a little bit."

Although the Tigers lost a lot of talent from the team that beat Nevada, 69-17, in Columbia, Mo., last year, they have done a good job replacing it. Missouri has only 14 seniors on its roster, and only five are expected to start tonight. Ten of the starters are sophomores and freshmen.

One factor that might work in the Wolf Pack's favor is that these young Tigers are effectively playing their first road game of the year. They beat Illinois in their opener, 37-9, at St. Louis, and then defeated Bowling Green (27-20) and Furman (52-12) in Columbia.

"It's our first real road game, so we're excited for the challenge," said senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who had a game-high 12 tackles, 21/2 for loss, in the win over Nevada last year. "They've got a good team up there. We had some scares with them when they came here last year because they have a quarterback (Colin Kaepernick) that can create mismatches, so we've really got to go out there and be sound and play solid football."


The Wolf Pack would not appear to match up real well with the Tigers.

Nevada has moved the ball pretty well in its first two games, but has had trouble scoring because of the mistakes. Missouri has allowed 325, 320 and 398 yards to its first three opponents, but has allowed just 13.7 points per game. Nevada was second in the nation in big plays (scoring plays of 25 yards or more) last season. So far this year, Missouri has allowed just seven plays of 20 yards or more. The Tigers allowed nine such plays to Illinois alone last season.

Weatherspoon, the weakside backer, is the leader on defense, but he's had plenty of help. Freshman defensive end Aldon Smith is exceptionally quick off the snap and already has four tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass break-ups. Jaron Baston, a 305-pound nosetackle, is a rock in the middle who started every game last season.

Another match-up issue for the Pack is that Missouri's defense is better against the run, the Pack's bread and butter. Opponents average just 105 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry. The Tigers have allowed 62 percent passing and 242 yards per game through the air. Part of that comes from the fact that the Tigers have been comfortably ahead in two of their three games, so opponents end up throwing the ball more.

"I think we're doing OK," Pinkel said, referring to his secondary. "Every week there is going to be a different answer to that question. ... (Cornerbacks) Carl Gettis and Kevin Rutland have played really well.

"... This week is a different challenge with option football. The quarterback can run really well, which puts a lot of pressure on the corners. My big thing is I just want to play more focused. One play can change a football game, especially back there. There is no one else back there."


The mismatches continue on the other side of the ball, where the Pack has struggled giving up big plays.


Mizzou's strength is its passing attack behind sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert -- who statistically is having a better sophomore season than 2008 Heisman Trophy candidate Chase Daniel had in 2006 -- and senior receivers Danario Alexander and Jared Perry. Sophomore Wes Kemp completes the Tigers' three-receiver set. The trio combined for 44 receptions for 663 yards and eight touchdowns in the first three games.

The Wolf Pack could counter with a new line-up that debuted against Colorado State when ends Basped, Dontay Moch and Ryan Coulson were all on the field at the same time in some situations, usually passing downs.

"As a coach, you try to figure out a way to get your best 11 on the field where it's not going to hurt you," Nevada defensive coordinator Nigel Burton said. "That's what we tried to do. It helped us last week. You've just got to be smart about what situations you do that."

The Tigers, though, are more balanced than they were a year ago. Mizzou had 235 first downs passing and 100 first downs rushing last season. So far this year, that ratio is 32-32.

Derrick Washington, who rushed for 75 yards and two TDs against Nevada in 2008, is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The Tigers are also slowly introducing Kendial Lawrence, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound freshman and Parade All-American. He's had 21 carries and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

If all that sounds a bit scary, it should. But it really doesn't matter to the Wolf Pack.

"Right now, we've just got to get back in our groove," Kaepernick said.