UCLA football: Is Nevada coach preparing team for asphalt jungle?

By Chris Foster

Aug. 28, 2013 12 AM PT

Brian Polian, Nevada’s first-year head coach, has made the rounds as an assistant coach, from Buffalo to South Bend to College Station. He seems to have saved up a lot to say.

Polian’s Wolf Pack plays UCLA on Saturday and he covered a variety of subjects with the media Tuesday.

With the smoke from wild fires hovering over Reno the past week, Polian said, “Who could imagine that someone from Reno would be dying to get to Los Angeles to improve air quality.”

[Insert rim shot]

The topics ranged from the Rose Bowl to the number of Nevada players from Southern California who are headed home this week.

There are 31 players on the Nevada roster from the area. Few, if any, were recruited by UCLA.

“Any energy created off that lasts five minutes,” Polian said. “I’m not going to do the ‘win one for the Gipper’ speech because guys didn’t get recruited by UCLA .… Save that stuff for YouTube.”

As for the Rose Bowl, Polian said, “You can embrace the moment, but it’s still a football game, whether it’s in the Rose Bowl or an asphalt parking lot in L.A..”

Asphalt parking lot? Sound more like the turf at Nevada’s Mackay Stadium.

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