Nevada

Jeff Choate evaluates spring camp following Nevada’s first padded scrimmage

Published

1 month ago

March 24, 2026

Jeff Choate evaluates spring camp following Nevada’s first padded scrimmage

The Nevada football team held its first closed scrimmage of spring camp last Thursday with the team nearing the halfway point of its 15 allowable spring practices.

After the scrimmage, third-year head coach Jeff Choate met with the media to share his takeaways. One of the first things he noted was positives coming from the wide receiver and running back rooms, saying all four wideouts who transferred to Nevada this spring made impact plays. Those newcomers include Donnie Cheers (Southeast Missouri), Jaceon Doss (Towson), WR Gary Givens III (Northern Illinois) and Damien Morgan (Idaho State), who were imported to shore up Nevada’s biggest weak point last season.

“I thought we did some really good things creating explosives,” Choate said. “The negatives from an offense standpoint was just some basic operational things. We had a lot of snaps that were on the ground, perimeter blocking the first time you get the officials out there. We got some holding calls that negated some explosive plays. So, those are things that obviously we need to continue to work on and clean up.

“From a defensive standpoint, like I told them after the scrimmage, ‘There’s the two things that are always going to show up in these. We can’t really simulate live tempo the way it’s going to be when you’re playing football with officials. So, I think the tempo got them a little bit. And then tackling always shows up in a first scrimmage where we’ve been working tag tempo or thud tempo in practice and now we’re out there playing real football.

“A lot of things to clean up on both sides. I felt like there was good competition. I think that guys competed hard. There was some good physical play. “

Entering spring camp, Choate said the Wolf Pack had the same depth chart at quarterback as it ended the 2025 season, with Carter Jones atop the list, veteran backup A.J. Bianco second and UCLA transfer Luke Duncan blending in with the two. Choate said all three quarterbacks did some good things in the scrimmage, which will be used as an evaluation tool as a pecking order begins to take shape after spring break so the quarterbacks could continue to build consistency with playmakers on the depth chart.

Despite some sloppiness, it was an interception-free scrimmage, with turnovers an issue for Nevada last season. The Wolf Pack ranked sixth worst in the nation in passing efficiency, throwing 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

“I think that competition raises everybody’s performance,” Choate said. “I felt like the three top guys all did some really, really good things. All three of them were able to lead touchdown drives at one point in time or another during the scrimmage. There was some sloppiness with some issues with the snap, but some of that was on the quarterbacks, right? They gotta be able to catch the freaking ball first and then worry about what the read is. And some of that stuff I’d like to see be a little cleaner in terms of the basic operation stuff.

“I thought those guys missed a couple of reads there, and that’s gonna happen. But by and large, we didn’t throw any interceptions today. I thought that was good they took care of the football, they got out of the pocket when it was appropriate for them to do that and they were able to put the ball in the end zone, which is the goal.”

Choate hired offensive coordinator Brett Bartolone this offseason to help revitalize a stagnant offense that averaged just 17.5 points per game last year, one of the worst marks in program history. Bartolone isn’t new to Nevada after serving as an offensive analyst for the Wolf Pack from 2020-21. Nevada’s offense hasn’t been as potent since then. During that two-year stretch, it averaged 33.7 points per game led by two-time Mountain West offensive player of the year, Carson Strong and playmakers Romeo Doubs, Cole Turner and Toa Taua.

Choate admitted this offseason change was needed to be more effective on offense, which includes throwing the ball more than his offense featured the last two seasons. Bartolone previously ran a spread-passing attack that Nevada is installing this spring.

“I think he’s got a plan and he knows what he wants it to look like,” Choate said of Bartolone. “He’s run this system for a while and he’s been a part of the system for even longer, so he’s gotten bank reps on, ‘Hey, defenses are gonna play us certain ways, and when they do this to us, this is how we can counterpunch that.’ And I think it’s done a good job there. I think there were some things in protection today that we’ve got to get cleaned up. We missed some protections with the backs, but those guys will get better at that as we get more repetitions.”

Nevada is on spring break this week and will continue spring camp next week with its final scrimmage at Churchill County High on April 10.

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Nevada

Rotten Tomatoes gives Cornish director’s new film unbelievable rating

Published

5 hours ago

April 26, 2026

Press Room

Rotten Tomatoes gives Cornish director’s new film unbelievable rating

The movie is screening in an unprecedented 125 cinemas nationwide from its opening night – a triumph for Cornwall’s hugely respected rising star director

A Cornish director’s latest film has been given an unbelievable rating by Rotten Tomatoes. Mark Jenkin, the writer and director behind Enys Men and Bait, releases his latest movie, Rose of Nevada, this month.

The 50-year-old is no stranger to good ratings with his biggest work to date, Bait, filmed in Cornwall, getting a 100 per cent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. But his most recent work has just done something equally incredible with a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes a day before its release date.

The movie, Rose of Nevada, is a British science fiction drama film written, edited, composed and directed by Mr Jenkin. It has been incredibly well received with critics describing it as “terrifically atmospheric” and “superbly visceral filmmaking”.

Hilary A White, writing for the Irish Independent, says: “Jenkin leaves plenty of space between story and audience, compiling a tale that feels cobbled together from stained Polaroids, dream snatches and fleeting glimpses.”

Deborah Ross, writing for The Independent, had this to say: “Though it’s about how we carry the past and what can be lost in a single generation, the film is never nostalgic or sentimental. It’s not Back to the Future. It’s terrifically atmospheric, thrumming with foreboding and dread.”

The movie, which was released in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday (April 24), tells the story of a mysterious boat that returns to a village 30 years after vanishing. Two men join its crew, hoping for better fortune. After one voyage, they find themselves transported back in time, mistaken for the original crew.

Rose of Nevada is screening in 125 cinemas nationwide from its opening night, including all 10 of the Merlin chain sites in the South West, including Bodmin, Falmouth, Helston, Penzance, Redruth and St Ives.

BFI Distribution has confirmed big screen showings in another 70-plus cinemas a little later. The spread is from the Shetland Islands in the North, to Jersey (Channel Islands) in the South, to Triskel in Eire in the West to Broadstairs in Kent in the East.

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Nevada

Special Olympics Nevada’s Vegas Plunge returns with superhero theme at Cowabunga Bay

Published

17 hours ago

April 26, 2026

Press Room

Special Olympics Nevada’s Vegas Plunge returns with superhero theme at Cowabunga Bay

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Special Olympics Nevada invited community members to make a splash for inclusion at the Vegas Plunge at Cowabunga Bay on Saturday.

Organizers encouraged people to “hop, skip, run, jump, or dive” into the Henderson waterpark to support Special Olympics Nevada’s sports, education, leadership, and athlete health programs. While polar plunges are typically associated with colder climates, the event puts “a Vegas twist on this classic event.”

This year’s theme is “superheroes,” with participants encouraged to wear costumes. All plungers received a Vegas Plunge T-shirt, breakfast, tickets to Cowabunga Bay for the day, and the chance to support Special Olympics Nevada athletes.

The event was hosted by JayBee Beasley and included the fifth annual Rubber Duck Derby presented by Columbia Bank. Hundreds of rubber ducks raced around the lazy river, and attendees had a chance to win items including staycations, sporting events, golf packages, and jewelry.

Liz Volpe is the Developmental Director for Special Olympics Nevada and says the Vegas Plunge is their signature event and, “We create inclusive opportunities for individuals with intellectual needs.”

Proceeds from the Polar Plunge are expected to support year-round sports training and competition for more than 3,978 Special Olympics Nevada athletes statewide.

Organizers said contributions and involvement also help athletes achieve their goals, live healthier lives, and feel included in the community.

Gold sponsors included Greenberg Traurig and The Raiders. Silver sponsors were Columbia Bank and MoneyTree. Bronze sponsors included David and Gail Bowman, Jomsom Staffing Services, and Renewal by Andersen.

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Nevada

1 dead after crash on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas; northbound lanes closed

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2026

Press Room

1 dead after crash on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas; northbound lanes closed

A pedestrian was killed in a fatal crash on Interstate 15 just north of Washington Avenue in Las Vegas on Friday night, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The crash, which happened just before 9:30 p.m. Friday, involved a pickup truck and a pedestrian the Highway Patrol’s trooper Shawn Haggstrom said in an email. The pedestrian, who was identified as a man, was confirmed dead at the scene.

The driver of the pickup truck stayed at the scene and was cooperating with investigators, the Highway Patrol said.

The crash has closed down all travel lanes of the northbound I-15 at Washington. The Interstate 11 ramp to the I-15 is also closed, Haggstrom said. All northbound I-15 traffic was being diverted off at the D Street off-ramp.

It wasn’t known how long the closures would last, Haggstrom said.

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com

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