RENO, Nev. (AP) -Nevada's Chris Ault has seen a lot in his 23 years of coaching college football, and still he can't think of a single team to compare to No. 12 Texas Tech and its Air Raid offense.
``They are a much different offense than the great Hawaii team of last year with Colt Brennan in charge,'' Ault said as the Western Athletic Conference's Wolf Pack (1-0) prepares to host the Red Raiders (1-0) on Saturday.
``As explosive as Hawaii was, I think their passing game is a little more complex than Hawaii's,'' he said. ``They're a precision offense. They do so much with it that, defensively speaking, your versatility is limited.''
``They've been probably the premier passing team in the country since Coach (Mike) Leach has been there,'' said Ault, the fifth winningest active coach in major college football (192-85-1).
Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell led the nation last year with 5,705 yards passing and 48 touchdown passes. He picked up where he left off in a 49-24 victory over Eastern Washington last week, completing 43 of 58 passes for 536 yards and two touchdowns.
One of those scores went to Michael Crabtree, an All-American who led the nation as a freshman last year in receptions (134), receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22). Crabtree, Eric Morris and Detron Lewis each had nine catches last week.
``They just do a great job of spreading you out and differentiating their, what I call their single routes - being able to call a particular route and then isolating a particular receiver they want to go to,'' Ault said.
Nevada's defense boasts it's best pass rush in years with outside pressure from speedy sophomore defensive ends Dontay Moch and Kevin Basped. But the secondary has only one starter back from 2007 and allowed several receivers to get behind it a week ago during a 49-13 win over Grambling State - Nevada's first season-opening win in five years.
``The most important thing (the Red Raiders) do is consider ball control while throwing it. So they're never out of a game,'' Ault said. ``Your offense talks about keeping the ball away from them, but I don't think that bothers them a bit. It is really a terrific, terrific challenge.''
Nevada is 20-5 at Mackay Stadium since Ault left his job as the Wolf Pack athletic director in 2005 to return to the sidelines for his third stint as coach of the team he once quarterbacked.
``The fact that it's the next game, I like,'' Leach said. ``I don't like that it's not at Jones Stadium'' in Lubbock, Texas.
Nevada runs an offense Ault calls the ``pistol,'' a modified shotgun with one back offset and the quarterback lined up just a few steps behind center. He implemented it to help the traditionally pass-happy Wolf Pack improve their running game, as evidenced last week when 426 of 629 total yards came on the ground.
Nevada running back Luke Lippincott, the WAC's leading returning rusher, ranked 25th in the nation last year averaging 109 yards per game.
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, is a threat to run as well as pass. He ran for 69 yards and three touchdowns and completed 10 of 17 passes for 122 yards a week ago.
``He's a terrific runner,'' Ault said. ``I think he's gotten faster since last year. It gives us another dimension.''
Leach likens the Wolf Pack to Oklahoma State.
``Spread it out, run it quite a bit and they will throw it,'' Leach said.
``They aren't scared of anybody. They're going to take their chances running the ball. They have a good quarterback and they are a tough running team,'' he said. ``It might be the best quarterback we face all year and a good running back. ... Coach Ault's record speaks for itself.''
It all makes for what should be a high-scoring affair. The Red Raiders have scored 30 or more points in 17 of their past 19 games.
For Nevada, it's the first of consecutive games against Big 12 foes. The Wolf Pack travels to No. 6 Missouri next week. Nevada lost its only other games against the Big 12 - at Nebraska in 2007 and Texas A&M in 1950.
``We'll certainly have our hands full,'' Ault said.
