Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
Bear River alumnus Kevin Grimes drops into coverage against Grambling State last week.
Kevin Grimes and the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack football team aren’t too happy about last season.
In a season that started with a bit of hype for the Western Athletic Conference school, the ’Pack mustered a 6-6 outing in 2007 after an 8-5 season in 2006. It was a disappointment for all around, says Bear River alumnus and Wolf Pack safety Grimes.
“We need to do better,” Grimes said, adding a point of emphasis, “especially after last year.”
Grimes will get his shot as he escalates himself up the UNR depth chart. Last year, playing mostly special teams, he had 24 tackles on the season. He’s happy to have a new defensive coordinator that’s allowing the safeties to be in a more commanding role.
“He’s unleashing us,” Grimes said of new defensive coordinator Nigel Burton, who formerly coached at Oregon State. “We’re kind of like the quarterbacks back there. The idea behind our defense is to play as fast as we can. We, as the safeties, have options of how we play each formation.
“It’s definitely fun because we get to play what we want to play,” Grimes said of the scheme, adding “I’ll play to what I’m better at.”
The team is renewed in its determination to better itself, making it Grimes’ primary goal to bring his best effort this season. As things stand now, he’s got one player ahead of him on the depth chart, but that doesn’t mean he won’t see more action this season. He scrounged up all the respect he could after making his mark on special teams during kickoffs, but now he’s turning to make his mark as the last line of defense.
“The guy ahead of me is a phenomenal player,” he said. “He’s definitely competitive but I’m moving my way up on the depth chart. I’m definitely going to get some playing time rotating in.
“As far as this season goes, I just want to play as much as I can,” he said. “I have my own personal goals that are extremely high. Coming off last season where we were expected to win the WAC ... well, we want to win the WAC. I’ve been to two bowl games. I want to get rings as far as a team goes. I want to get to my early days of high school, when we were winning championships and get back to that glory.”
He’s just happy he’ll get his shot this year to show what he can do — and then some.
“Definitely, we’re all extremely excited,” he said. “I personally feel like we have our confidence back.”
To contact Sports Writer Zuri Berry, e-mail zberry@theunion.com or call 477-4244.
In a season that started with a bit of hype for the Western Athletic Conference school, the ’Pack mustered a 6-6 outing in 2007 after an 8-5 season in 2006. It was a disappointment for all around, says Bear River alumnus and Wolf Pack safety Grimes.
“We need to do better,” Grimes said, adding a point of emphasis, “especially after last year.”
Grimes will get his shot as he escalates himself up the UNR depth chart. Last year, playing mostly special teams, he had 24 tackles on the season. He’s happy to have a new defensive coordinator that’s allowing the safeties to be in a more commanding role.
“He’s unleashing us,” Grimes said of new defensive coordinator Nigel Burton, who formerly coached at Oregon State. “We’re kind of like the quarterbacks back there. The idea behind our defense is to play as fast as we can. We, as the safeties, have options of how we play each formation.
“It’s definitely fun because we get to play what we want to play,” Grimes said of the scheme, adding “I’ll play to what I’m better at.”
The team is renewed in its determination to better itself, making it Grimes’ primary goal to bring his best effort this season. As things stand now, he’s got one player ahead of him on the depth chart, but that doesn’t mean he won’t see more action this season. He scrounged up all the respect he could after making his mark on special teams during kickoffs, but now he’s turning to make his mark as the last line of defense.
“The guy ahead of me is a phenomenal player,” he said. “He’s definitely competitive but I’m moving my way up on the depth chart. I’m definitely going to get some playing time rotating in.
“As far as this season goes, I just want to play as much as I can,” he said. “I have my own personal goals that are extremely high. Coming off last season where we were expected to win the WAC ... well, we want to win the WAC. I’ve been to two bowl games. I want to get rings as far as a team goes. I want to get to my early days of high school, when we were winning championships and get back to that glory.”
He’s just happy he’ll get his shot this year to show what he can do — and then some.
“Definitely, we’re all extremely excited,” he said. “I personally feel like we have our confidence back.”
To contact Sports Writer Zuri Berry, e-mail zberry@theunion.com or call 477-4244.
