Vandals brace for Kaepernick, pistol

Idaho coach Robb Akey hoped he'd seen enough of Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick last year.

"He's a very, very good player," Akey said. "It won't break my heart to see him gone. I told him last year I thought he was ready to go to the NFL. He should have left, but (Nevada coach Chris) Ault got him to stick around for another year. He's obviously doing a great job."

Kaepernick runs the Ault's pistol offense against Idaho for the last time today, when No. 25 Nevada (7-1, 2-1 Western Athletic Conference) plays the Vandals (4-4, 1-2) today at the Kibbie Dome.

"He's had more success throwing the football this year," Akey said. "He's still got a great complement of running backs back there. He does fit it (the pistol) perfectly, and when he became the trigger of that pistol, it became a lot more effective."

Kaepernick averages 96 rushing yards and needs two rushing touchdowns to break the school's all-time record of 53, held by Chris Lemon.

Nevada has little trouble running the ball, averaging 300 yards rushing per game out of the half-shotgun formation known as the pistol. Running back Vai Taua is averaging 132 yards per game and needs 94 to become the fifth player in WAC history to gain 4,000 career yards.

Idaho is 3-0 at home this season, with just 21 points allowed.

Quarterback Nate Enderle is second in the WAC with an average of 285.2 yards per game, and the Vandals are averaging 338 yards through the air. Enderle's top targets are Daniel Hardy (32 catches), Eric Greenwood (28) and Maurice Shaw (23).

"Their quarterback is explosive," Ault said. "Their offense does a great job of throwing the football."

Nevada also features Dontay Moch, the WAC defensive player of the year in 2009, who is the nation's active leader in tackles for loss with 57.

Nevada has won five straight over Idaho and leads the all-time series 18-9. The Wolf Pack is already bowl eligible for a program-record sixth straight season.