Nevada's Jeff Choate 'Fired Up' to Coach Where Joe Paterno Led Penn State

The Nevada Wolf Pack make their first trip to Beaver Stadium on Saturday to face second-ranked Penn State, as does head coach Jeff Choate. He paused Monday to marvel at what the opportunity means to him personally and for his team.

"If I told my 16-year-old self that someday, I’d be in the same stadium that Joe Paterno coached in, I’d be pretty fired up about that," Choate told reporters in Reno at his weekly press conference. "I know I’m excited about the opportunity, and I think [the players] are as well."

Nevada is a 44.5-point underdog to Penn State in both teams' opener, something Choate certainly seemed to understand. He spent much of his session providing the local media with a glowing scouting report of the Nittany Lions, which began with head coach James Franklin.

"As I kind of look at his trajectory and what he’s been able to accomplish, I’m not sure he gets the full amount of credit," Choate said. "This is a team that’s gone from very good to elite, and when you look at them in all three phases, they’re a team that’s built for a national-championship run."

Choate went 3-10 in his first year at Nevada and 0-7 in the Mountain West. That did include a 42-37 win over Oregon State and a seven-point loss at home to Boise State, which Penn State defeated in the College Football Playoff.

Choate raved about Penn State's roster from all angles. He referred to quarterback Drew Allar as "a big dude with a big-time arm" and called backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen "complete players." He also highlighted tight end Khalil Dinkins and was quite aware of how Penn State targeted receivers from the transfer portal.

One of those receivers, Devonte Ross, caught six passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Wolf Pack last year while playing for Troy. Ross, who dealt with an offseason injury, is ready for Saturday's opener, Penn State coach James Franklin said.

Further, Choate noted that Franklin hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State to lead a group that has "impact players at all three levels of defense." He particularly took notice of defensive linemen Zane Durant and Deni Dennis-Sutton, linebacker Tony Rojas and defensive backs A.J. Harris and Zakee Wheatley.

"You've got to really give them credit," Choate said. "This is a very good, traditional, blue-blood college program, and coach Franklin and that organization, they’re committed to winning the national championship."

Choate added that Penn State is "more than deserving" of its preseason No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 and called Beaver Stadium "one of those Saturday shrines."

"They’re on par with those types of national-championship-caliber programs like the Georgias and the Alabamas," Choate said. "You see the talent and the depth that creates an elite roster."

Franklin on Monday called Nevada a difficult team to scout, in part because the team has more than 50 transfers on its roster. That includes quarterback Chubba Purdy, who played the past two seasons at Nebraska after starting his career at Florida State.

Penn State hosts Nevada for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday at Beaver Stadium. CBS will televise. Check out Choate's full press conference here, courtesy of Nevada Sports Net.

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