RENO, Nev. — People still complaining about The Mtn. television contract might consider one of the reasons for the arrangement. Concerned about late starting times and the possibility of weeknight games, Mountain West Conference presidents wanted more control over kickoff times than allowed by ESPN.
Originally a 4 p.m. local time kickoff, ESPNU, with its Western Athletic Conference contract, moved Saturday’s Colorado State-Nevada game to a 7:35 p.m. local start time, making for a very long day for CSU players sequestered in the team’s hotel.
CSU’s plane wasn’t scheduled to land in Colorado until 3:30 a.m. today. Saturday wasn’t too much of a hardship for CSU fans. With numerous golf courses and Lake Tahoe less than an hour away, Reno joins Nevada-Las Vegas and San Diego State as popular destinations in the MWC.
Start streak stopped.
CSU linebacker Mychal Sisson, who skipped most of practice last week because of a sore knee, missed his first start in 24 consecutive games. Sophomore James Skelton drew the start.
A second-team all-Mountain West pick a year ago, Sisson had played in every CSU game since the third game of his freshman season in 2008 (26 in a row).
Sisson entered Saturday’s game on Nevada’s third possession, with CSU already trailing 10-0.
Nwoke debuts.
CSU redshirt freshman Chris Nwoke’s first career carry went for 17 yards in CSU’s opening first down of the game. Although the drive ended with a 40-yard Ben DeLine field goal, it was the first offensive spark showed by the Rams.
Bowl scout.
Yes, it’s early in the season. But former Poinsettia Bowl president Larry Baber was in Nevada’s press box to get a look at CSU and Nevada, a future MWC member.
Navy is locked into the berth opposite a Mountain West team this year for the San Diego bowl game, provided the Midshipmen are eligible.
Footnotes.
Nevada athletic director Cary Groff and CSU counterpart Paul Kowalczyk are longtime rivals (and friends). Groff was at Northern Illinois when Kowalczyk ran the Southern Illinois athletic department before taking over at CSU. Kowal-czyk did not make the trip to Reno. . . . Nevada third-year cornerbacks coach James Ward was on the Rams’ staff with current CSU staffers Dan Hammerschmidt and Tom Ehlers.
