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Nevada travels to No. 12 Boise State, will attempt to slow Ashton Jeanty

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Nevada travels to No. 12 Boise State, will attempt to slow Ashton Jeanty


Nevada travels to No. 12 Boise State on Saturday with the daunting task of trying to slow down Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty is leading the nation in rushing with 1,525 yards through eight games and is a big reason why the Broncos are in the driver’s seat as they try to earn a bid as the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoff.

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“We are taking on a juggernaut this week, and everybody is going to focus on Ashton Jeanty and the historic year he’s having,” Nevada head coach Jeff Choate said. “But what good players do is they make other players around them better. And that’s what Jeanty does.”

Choate, who was the co-defensive coordinator at Texas before taking the head job at Nevada before this year, has struggled to find sustained success with the Wolfpack (3-7, 0-4 Mountain West) in an injury-marred season.

Boise State (7-1, 4-0) also has a first-year head coach in Spencer Danielson. But his season has been markedly different, as he has the Broncos sitting atop the Mountain West.

“We are relentless to continue to improve here, and we need to, especially in games we need to win, like against a really good Nevada team,” Danielson said. “We know we’re going to get Nevada’s best, and they’re going to get our best, too.”

The game is a homecoming of sorts for Choate, his first return to Boise State since leaving in 2012. He coached at Boise State from 2006-2011, serving as the special teams coach along with other defensive units.

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But if Nevada’s going to pull off the upset, Choate has his work cut out for him, especially with a squad hampered by injuries to key players, chiefly starting middle linebacker Tongiaki Mateialona.

“I’m not going to use the injury piece as a crutch, but everybody is a different team when they don’t have all their players,” Choate said.

Mateialona’s absence has been stark. Two weeks ago, Nevada yielded 242 rushing yards to Hawaii, which had entered that game averaging 83.8 yards rushing per game.

Travis Hunter vs Ashton Jeanty: ‘They won’t give Heisman to a Boise State RB!’

Madsen vs. Lewis

When asked about dual-threat quarterback Brendon Lewis against a stingy Boise State defense, Choate was emphatic about his importance as a key to the game.

“[Having Lewis] is almost a must,” Choate said. “Their edges are really good and they do a really good job of mixing coverage looks, too.”

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Lewis’ mobility — he’s the team’s second-leading rusher with 660 yards along with seven touchdowns — will be key in neutralizing Boise State’s attack-minded defense, which leads the FBS with 4.75 sacks per game.

Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen’s performance will be pivotal for the Broncos if Nevada can contain Jeanty.

Last week against San Diego State, Madsen threw for a career-high 307 yards and four TDs after the Aztecs committed to stopping Jeanty.

Explosive Plays

If there’s one glaring flaw in the Boise State defense, it is found in the unit’s penchant for giving up explosive plays. The Broncos have yielded 23 plays of 30 yards or more this season, which ranks 114th among FBS programs.

Choate has taken note.

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“Nobody has really moved the ball consistently well against Boise State,” Choate said, “but they have given up some explosive plays.”

Although Nevada has played two more games than Boise State, the Wolfpack defense has also yielded 45 plays of 20 yards or more, 17 of which went for more than 30 yards.

Stopping Jeanty

At nearly every press conference this season, Danielson has reiterated his belief that Jeanty is “the best player in college football.” And the statistics back that up.

As the unquestioned leader of the Boise State offense, Jeanty averages 200.75 all-purpose yards per game to lead the nation. He also leads the FBS in rushing touchdowns (20) and total touchdowns (21), and is second in scoring per game (15.8) and yards per carry (8.03).

“He’s actually fun to watch,” Choate said. “You watch him, and you’re like, ‘That was pretty impressive.’ One of the things he does better than other runners is that he uses his off-hand as a weapon. And when people try to tackle him low a lot of times, that’s not a winning proposition because he uses that stiff arm.”

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Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Nevada

28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies

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28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies


A man serving time at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for felony reckless driving died last month, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

Shiloh Walker, 28, died at the Indian Springs facility on Nov. 24, a news release said. Cause of death was not listed.

Walker was serving a sentence of up to six years after a plea agreement was reached in 2022 following a DUI crash that happened May 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, according to online court records.

An autopsy was requested following Walker’s death, though results were not available as of Monday evening. Attempts to reach Walker’s family members have been unsuccessful, according to the department.

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Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.



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Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?

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Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?


After widespread condemnation last year, the U.S. Postal Service backed away from plans to move its Reno mail-processing operations to Sacramento — but did it stay true to what it told the public?

The question arose recently after letters sent from one Carson City address to another in Carson City were both postmarked in Sacramento.

Northern Nevadans did not want first class mail sent from one Northern Nevada address to another going first to California. They sent a unified message to the USPS all the way up to the postmaster general.

Critics of the USPS plan were especially worried about delays from mail having to go back and forth over the Sierra during winter.

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The Washoe County District Attorney’s office filed a lawsuit over the plan, the Washoe County Commission voted to oppose the plan, public comment was universally opposed, and Democratic and Republican elected officials from across the state joined to stop it.

Could it possibly have happened anyway? The answer is yes, temporarily, for a brief time.

How letters sent in Carson City came to be processed at Sacramento USPS facility

A reader told the Reno Gazette Journal they’d twice had letters internal to Carson City postmarked in Sacramento, so we asked USPS if the policy had changed.

“Mail processing for First Class mail that originates in Northern Nevada and is destined to Northern Nevada has not changed,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson responded by email.

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“However,” she added, “without the specific mail piece and class of mail, we cannot determined if there is an issue.”

The reader then supplied a photo of the two envelopes postmarked Nov. 5 in Sacramento, and this was shared with USPS.

“Our processing machine in Reno was temporarily out of service while we awaited a replacement part,” Patterson said after viewing the postmarks to nail down the specific date the letters went through Sacramento.

“To ensure that mail was not delayed during this time, we implemented a contingency plan that involved routing certain mail to our Sacramento facility for cancellation and processing. This measure allows us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruptions for our customers. We understand that this may cause some confusion, and we are committed to ensuring that all mail is processed efficiently and accurately.”

Bottom line: Regarding first class mail that’s being sent to and from Northern Nevada addresses, it’s still USPS policy to process that in Reno at its Vassar Street facility, she said.

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The path these particular letters took, Patterson added, “is indeed an unusual occurrence.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.



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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Loneliness has become a significant health issue for people everywhere, and the holiday season sometimes intensifies those feelings. For many, December looks like family gatherings, matching pajamas and bustling homes. But this time of year can also be very difficult for those who may be battling distance, work commitments or recent life changes.

Marc Valli, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, has lived in Las Vegas since 1988. He moved to Nevada to join a ministry and be closer to his wife’s parents.

WATCH| Shellye Leggett talks to an army vet who’s recently moved into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

“I wanted to come and join ministry here. Also my wife’s parents lived here,” Valli said.

Valli’s wife Barbara, known to friends and family as Bobby, passed away in 2018 after 54 years of marriage.

“I’m still counting the years. We’ve been married 54 years,” he said.

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His children moved him into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility in June, making this his first holiday season in his new home.

“People are very nice, they treat you good,” Valli said.

Come Christmas Day, the facility’s common room will be filled with residents ready for holiday activities, but Valli hopes to get outside these walls to see his family that still lives nearby.

“I have grandkids. One goes to Cal Poly. He’s here right now, but he’s on vacation, and then I have two little granddaughters, one’s 11, one’s 7,” Valli said. “I don’t know if they’re gonna come for Christmas or I’m going there.”

Gus Farias, the executive director of Escalante at the Lakes Assisted Living, says many of his residents don’t have family nearby. Keeping their spirits high throughout the holidays is an important task.

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“We can tell when our residents are feeling down. There’s a lot of pressure during the holidays because some of our residents don’t have families that are nearby, but they have us,” Farias said.

The organisation A Mission for Michael released a study showing just how many people are expected to spend the holidays alone this year. Nevada ranked 43rd on the list of loneliest states, with more than 212,000 people expected to spend Christmas by themselves.

“It’s pretty surprising that there’s so many Nevadans that are gonna spend the holidays by themselves,” Farias said.

He says combating loneliness will take a community effort.

“When you’re at the grocery store or whatever, reach, look back and ask them, you know, wish them a merry Christmas or happy holidays and ask them how they passed their holidays in the past because we, we as a younger generation than our seniors, we can learn a lot from that,” Farias said.

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It’s an effort that Valli says makes the holidays a little brighter.

“Oh, it makes a big difference,” he said.





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