Orange County Athletes Enjoy Running With the Pack

They make quite a pair on the Nevada football team--the Kid and the Slightly Older Kid.

Trevor Insley and Geoff Noisy, former standout Orange County prep athletes, have flourished with the Wolf Pack. They have combined for 2,009 yards, or 51.4% of the team’s receiving yardage, and 14 touchdowns.

They have also helped lead Nevada (8-3) to a tie for the Big West Conference championship this season and a berth in Thursday’s Las Vegas Bowl--the first bowl game of the season--against Ball State (8-3), champion of the Mid-American Conference.

Nevada, which uses a one-back, four-receiver system, has led the nation in total offense the last four seasons. Noisy and Insley rank second and third in receptions. The Wolf Pack averaged 527 yards in total offense this season.

Both players agree they could not have selected a better place to play.

“The offense is a receiver’s dream because we throw so much,” said Insley, 19, a freshman.

Said Noisy, a 20-year-old sophomore who was a redshirt his freshman year: “It’s everything I hoped for and more. I get to do it all, from possession receiving to going for the deep ball.”

That could be bad news for Ball State, which comes from a conference that favors the run. The Cardinals gave up an average of 204.1 passing yards a game this season; the Wolf Pack averages 355.2 yards passing.

Nonetheless, Ball State comes to Las Vegas with an eight-game winning streak; Nevada has won seven of its last eight.

“We’re playing against a pretty good defense,” Noisy said. “But Central Florida had 496 passing yards against them. And in our system, the receivers don’t have to fight amongst themselves for the ball. [Quarterback] John Dutton throws to the open guy. Everyone gets their share.”

Noisy began playing prep football and baseball at Santiago but transferred to Irvine as a senior in 1993. He played only one year for the Vaqueros and set the school’s single-season records in receptions (64), reception yardage (962) and touchdowns (10). He was named to The Times all-county second team.

“He was class,” Irvine Coach Terry Henigan said. “If you ask anyone around here, they will tell you he was a classy young man. A good student from a good family. And on the field he was very smooth.

“He could not convince a lot of schools to take a look at him. Nevada made a nice choice.”

Insley, who played for San Clemente, earned Times all-county first-team honors as a senior in 1995. He caught 64 passes for 1,086 yards that season, despite missing three games because of a broken hand. He capped his senior year in the Orange County All-Star game, where he had a record 10 receptions for 107 yards and was named player of the game.

“He was a tireless worker with phenomenal hands,” Triton Coach Mark McElroy said. “He was probably one of the reasons we were able to beat Mater Dei last year. He caught nine passes against them, which was critical to our success.

“He was the best receiver I’ve ever coached. Guys like him don’t come along that often.”

Neither has missed a beat at Nevada.

This season, Noisy earned All-Big West first-team honors by catching 98 passes for 1,435 yards and nine touchdowns. He led the Wolf Pack in total yardage and was second in receptions.

“He’s had an unbelievable year,” Nevada receiving coach Tim Flannigan said. “By far he is our best receiver. When we need a big reception, we go to him.”

“Geoff is so smart, we have the luxury to move him around. He’s played five different receiver positions. You don’t have to tell him to do something twice. Plus, he is a great athlete. Not great speed, but he runs very smooth, precise routes and has excellent hands.”

Nevada’s coaching staff was considering a redshirt season for Insley until one of the Wolf Pack’s starting receivers was hurt in the season opener. Insley stepped in, caught six passes, and has not been out of the lineup since.

“The biggest thing you had to get used to was the size and speed of everybody,” Insley said. “But if the coaches felt I was ready, that was fine with me. I wanted to get on the field as soon as I could.”

Insley was Nevada’s third-leading receiver with 36 catches for 574 yards and five touchdowns. Insley was named to the Sporting News freshman All-American team.

“He surprised us,” Flannigan said. “A lot of true freshmen coming out of high school aren’t productive; they need to get acclimated to college. But you could tell Trevor was well coached in high school.

“His biggest strength--he’s mentally tough. Most of his catches came on third down. He is our best third-down possession receiver.”

If Nevada is to win its first bowl game (O-2 in the Las Vegas Bowl and 0-4 overall), Noisy and Insley will need to sustain their high level of play. Insley does not expect that to be a problem.

“We played a couple of Pac-10 teams this season [California and Oregon], and I don’t think our program is less than theirs,” Insley said. “It made me realize we had a good caliber of talent.”