Nevada Basketball Preview Available Now!

Nevada vs. Fresno State. Post-Game Notes

Nevada vs. Fresno State
Nov. 7, 2008

Nevada Post-Game Notes

Nevada improved to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. Nevada coach Chris Ault is now 196-89-1 all-time in his career. This is Nevada’s first win over Fresno State in Fresno since 1998 (27-24).

Sophomore Colin Kaepernick’s 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and his 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter marks his 13th and 14th of the season (and 19th and 20th of his career). He is now tied for fifth on Nevada’s single-season charts for most rushing TDs in a season (Charvez Foger, 1985 and 1986; Kin Minor, 1994). He is now tied for ninth all-time at Nevada in career rushing TDs with 20, tied with NFL Hall of Famer Marion Motley (1940-42).
Kaepernick topped the 100-yard mark in rushing for the third time this season and fifth time in his career. He finished with 118 yards on the ground.

Sophomore Vai Taua had a career-best 263 yards on 26 carries. This is the sixth time of the season (and his career) that he has topped the 100-yard mark and the first time in his career that he topped the 200-yard mark. He is the 15th player in Nevada history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game. It is the second time this season a Nevada player has topped 200 yards (Colin Kaepernick, 240 yards vs. UNLV). Taua also topped the 1,000-yard mark (1,159) for the season. He entered the game with 896 rushing yards on the year in eight games.

Since Nevada went Division I in 1977, this marks the 21st time a Nevada player has broken the 1,000-yard mark. Since Nevada went Division I-A (FBS) in 1992, this is the 11th time a Nevada player has hit the mark. This is the third time this season that both Kaepernick and Taua topped the 100-yard mark in rushing (UNLV, Hawaii). This is the second time this season that Nevada has produced a 200-yard rusher and a 100-yard rusher in the same game (vs. UNLV – Kaepernick 240 yards; Taua 123 yards).

Junior safety Jonathon Amaya recorded his third interception of the season and fifth of his career with a pick in the first quarter. Sophomore safety Kevin Grimes recorded his second interception of the season and of his career. Nevada now has 12 interceptions on the season after recording just seven in the 2007 season.

Reviglio Way To Go Award (November) - Bryan Tibaduiza, Galena

Sponsored by our friends at:

On the Run
By U. Earl Dunn

He is the last in the line of succession as a member of Northern Nevada’s royal family of distance runners and has set his sights on repeating as the state’s premier cross country champion this month. But for 17-year-old Bryan Tibaduiza, the icing on the cake for the Galena High School senior would be an invitation to the prestigious Footlocker Cross Country nationals to be held in San Diego in December.

He needs to place high at the regionals on December 6th in order to make the nationals where the top 32 times in the country get the invitation,” says his high school coach, Domingo Tibaduiza. Domingo, himself a four-time Olympic distance runner, is also Bryan’s father.

“My goal,” says Bryan, “is to win state again this month, then hopefully do well enough to make nationals.” The 5-7, 128 pound student-athlete lives to run, something his two older brothers and sister have done well in years passed. He trains daily, averaging between 75 and 80 miles each week. Earlier this season, he broke the Reed Invitational 5K (3.1 miles) record by nearly 15 seconds, some 37 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.

“I guess I began to run seriously when I was about 11 years old,” Tibaduiza says. When asked if it was difficult being coached by his father, he deflects such talk. “I think of it as an advantage having my father as my high school coach. I live with him and he gives me advice all the time. I don’t know what it would be like to have someone else as my coach. He’s been there and knows what it takes to succeed.”

Tibaduiza is also a good student carrying a 3.2 grade point average. College is definitely in his future plans although he hasn’t received any firm scholarship offers. “There are several schools that have expressed interest,” he says. “We’ve been talking to a few coaches and something will happen. I will definitely go to a good program.”

At Galena, Tibaduiza says his favorite classes are government and history. When he does choose a college, he says he will likely major in business. But first comes the state cross country championships. “My goal is to win state. I won state as a sophomore running the 2 mile, then last year as a junior, I won cross country. I think I’m a better 2 miler but I also like cross country,” he says.

Asked about his life away from running, Tibaduiza says he is a typical high school kid. “I like to hang out with my friends, watch TV or play 360 like everybody else,” he says. “I even hit some of the fast food places once in awhile.” But when it comes to a dietary regimen, he says he defers to his mother.

“She knows how to cook for distance runners because she’s done it for years,” he says. “Lots of carbs and protein.”

Should Bryan Tibaduiza make it to the Footlocker Cross Country nationals in San Diego on December 13, he would be only the second runner from Northern Nevada to ever do so.

The other successful runner was also named Bryan—Bryan Carroll from Carson City who finished sixth in 1981. Perhaps that is a good omen for the Tibaduiza family.

Way to go, Bryan!