2007 Season
As a redshirt freshman, Kaepernick saw little action through Nevada's first four games. It was during the fifth game of the season against the 2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football team that he got his first extended playing time. After starting quarterback Nick Graziano went down with a season-ending foot injury, Kaepernick entered the game with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter. He would go on to amass 384 yards passing, 4 TD's and 60 yards rushing. Despite the effort, Fresno State won the game, 49–41.
Kaepernick made his first start on Sunday, October 14, 2007. Entering as 26-point underdogs to the Boise State Broncos, a team that had never lost on its home field to a WAC opponent, Kaepernick and the Wolf Pack nearly upset the Broncos in one of the highest-scoring games in NCAA history (69–67 in four overtimes). The game was nationally televised on ESPN and was deemed an Instant Classic and re-aired on the network's ESPN Classic station in the following days. Compiling 243 yards passing with 3 TDs and rushing for another 177 yards and 2 scores, Kaepernick led the Wolf Pack into a fourth overtime period when a failed two-point conversion attempt ultimately ended the game. During the contest, Kaepernick earned high praise from ESPN's Bill Curry (the former Georgia Tech and Green Bay Packer center and University of Alabama and University of Kentucky head football coach) as having perhaps the best game by a redshirt freshman quarterback he had ever witnessed.
Kaepernick followed the Boise State effort by leading the Wolf Pack to three straight victories over Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State (a game in which he threw the go-ahead score with a minute remaining). He earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against New Mexico State. Against undefeated and nationally ranked Hawaii, his team fell two points short, giving up the go-ahead field goal with 15 seconds remaining. A loss to San Jose State followed.
In the final game of the regular season against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Kaepernick threw for 404 yards and three scores with no turnovers to help lead the Pack to its third consecutive bowl appearance, a first in school history.
Kaepernick earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors for his efforts during the regular season. With a quarterback rating of 161.06, he finished as the fifth-ranked quarterback in NCAA football based on pass efficiency behind Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Tim Tebow (Florida), Colt Brennan (Hawaii), and Dennis Dixon (Oregon) and third in the nation in yards-per-attempt at 9.4, behind Tebow and Paul Smith (Tulsa).
With bowl games completed, Kaepernick's stats dropped slightly. He would finish the season ranked in the top ten in NCAA in various categories including: 2nd-lowest Interception Percent (to Florida State's Drew Weatherford), 5th in Yards Per Passing Attempt, 7th in Touchdowns Passing Percent, and 10th in Passer Rating. Amongst quarterbacks he was 6th in Yards Per Carry when running the ball.
Read more about this topic: Colin Kaepernick, College Career, Football
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