Did not play in Nevada’s last 3 games.
AJ Bianco started the last one, L 0-27 at No. 7 UCLA, Oct 31.
Nevada’s next game: vs New Mexico, Fri Nov 6, 9:00 p.m. ET · CBS Sports Network
Nevada is 2-2 in the four games played. A balanced passer.
Strongest: 13% of throws gain 20 or more yards, 30th best of 158 starters.
Plays most like Jackson, Arkansas.
Passing yards
654
53 of 89, 60%
TD–INT
3–2
7.3 per throw
NCAA rating
127.9
ZPR
32
not ranked yet
Graded Shaky against Air Force, the last full game; shaky or worse in 3 of 4 graded games.
Best by our grade: Western Kentucky. Lowest: at UTEP, sacked 2 times.
Tap a game for its plays
Western Kentucky
W 49–14·Unranked
Solid
Carried by the third quarter · 163 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT · Rush 6 for 50 · Sacked 0
None of the quarterback’s own plays moved the team's chance of winning by more than a few points.
Montana State
L 7–20·FCS
Did not play
at Middle Tennessee
L 20–27·Unranked
Shaky
Carried by the first quarter · 185 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT · Rush 11 for 31, 1 TD · Lost a fumble · Sacked 1
Biggest swing: a Q3 run added 24 points of win chance. It flipped the game for the team: 31% to 55%.
Air Force
L 33–36·Unranked
Shaky
224 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT · Rush 8 for -5 · Sacked 4
Biggest swing: a Q4 incompletion cost the team 25 points of win chance. Win chance: 47% to 22%.
at UTEP
W 30–13·Unranked
Out after Q3
Last pass came in the third quarter; AJ Bianco played the fourth quarter · 82 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT · Rush 4 for -19 · Lost a fumble · Sacked 2
Biggest swing: a Q1 completion added 22 points of win chance. It flipped the game for the team: 49% to 72%.
at North Dakota State
L 17–31·Unranked
Did not play
San José State
W 28–13·Unranked
Did not play
at UCLA
L 0–27·Ranked #7
Did not play
Season
Steady through the game
Each column is a quarter. Blue and up is a good stretch for the quarterback, red and down a bad one, hatched means the game was already decided. A red cross is a turnover and a black dot a touchdown. The word on the right grades the whole game. A gold line means the r/CFB game thread kept naming the quarterback. Dashed outlines on the Season row are last season’s average. Tap a game to open its plays: each bar is one of the quarterback’s plays, up helped the team’s chance of winning and down hurt it, and the grey line is that chance.
The word grades the game against every FBS quarterback start, from Rough to Great, using the same throws as the season Zeitgeist Passer Rating and adjusting for the defense faced. Bars are points added per throw in that quarter. The Season row leaves out quarters after a game was decided.
Balanced
Also: yards after catch
The dot is this quarterback, among this season’s starters; the tick is the middle.
Throws at a middling depth and runs some. 4.2 carries a game. Closest matches: Jackson, Angeli, DeShields, Mateer.
Where the throws go
Runs 4.2 times a game; 51% of starters run more.
Closest in style
Nearer the middle means more alike.
Compared with the 158 FBS starters this season for throws and running, and with 219 quarterbacks across 2 seasons for the matches, on how they play and how they have done.
“Why is Carter jones dressed on the sideline if they’re not going to play him”
4 stories in the last 30 days, from 2 outlets.
Carter Jones and AJ Bianco questionable against SJSU; Spartans standouts cleared to play
Nevada Sports Net Oct 23
Carter Jones
Two seasons in the Nevada quarterback room to date. First career honor, 2025: Mountain West Freshman Player of the Week. One game to point at: 224 passing yards against Air Force — Week 4, 2026.
654 passing yards · 3 passing TD · 81 rushing yards
from 2 outlets
Carter Jones and AJ Bianco questionable against SJSU; Spartans standouts cleared to play
Nevada Sports Net Oct 23 · 1 outlet
from 8 outlets
Mountain West Connection +1 Sep 17 · 2 outlets
The Nevada SagebrushCarter Jones Named Nevada Starting QuarterbackAug 25
Reno Gazette JournalNevada football coach Jeff Choate says Carter Jones is the starting QBAug 25The Nevada SagebrushCarter Jones Played Good, Not Great. And That’s Okay.Sep 8
FOX SportsCarter Jones Connects with Dominic Kelly for 21-Yard TD, giving Nevada lead over UTEPOct 10Mountain West Connection +1The Nevada SagebrushMountain West ConnectionEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 4 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | Grade | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | SK | RUSH | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 49-14vs Western Kentucky | Solid | 9/15 | 163 | 2 | 1 | 10.9 | 72.0 | 0 | 50 | |
| Wk 3 | L 20-27@ Middle Tennessee | Shaky | 15/25 | 185 | 0 | 1 | 7.4 | 26.6 | 1 | 31 | |
| Wk 4 | L 33-36vs Air Force | Shaky | 18/30 | 224 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 | 26.4 | 4 | -5 | Season-high 224 yds |
| Wk 6 | W 30-13@ UTEP | Out after Q3 | 11/19 | 82 | 1 | 0 | 4.3 | 6.3 | 2 | -19 | |
| Total | 53/89 | 654 | 3 | 2 | 7.3 | — | 7 | 57 |
11 of 19 for 82 yards and a touchdown. He was 1 of 10 on third and fourth down.
4-yard loss on 3rd and 7. First quarter, tied 0-0.
21-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Kelley. First quarter, made it 7-0.
Incomplete to Trace Estes on 3rd and 6. First quarter, up 7-0.
4-yard completion to Damien Moun on 3rd and 6. Second quarter, up 7-0.
Each pass sits where it was caught or thrown to, in yards past the line. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
18 of 30 for 224 yards. He was 3 of 12 on third and fourth down.
7-yard completion to Gary Givens III on 3rd and 1. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
13-yard completion to Dominic Kelley on 3rd and 10. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
Incomplete to Damien Moun on 4th and 5. Fourth quarter, down 20-17. Turnover on downs. Broken up by Air Force’s J. Kepler.
50-yard completion to Donnie Cheers. Fourth quarter, down 27-17.
Each pass sits where it was caught or thrown to, in yards past the line. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
15 of 25 for 185 yards and an interception. He ran 8 times for 28 yards, after 12 runs in his other three games combined.
34-yard completion to Gary Givens III on 3rd and 7. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
No gain on 3rd and 1. First quarter, tied 0-0.
Intercepted. Third quarter, tied 17-17. Picked off by Middle Tennessee’s Jason Hardy.
37-yard completion to Trace Estes on 3rd and 3. Third quarter, tied 17-17. Converted.
Each pass sits where it was caught or thrown to, in yards past the line. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
9 of 15 for 163 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Not drawn: the play-by-play doesn’t add up to the box score.
| Best by our grade | Western Kentucky | W 49-14 · Graded solid · Carried by the third quarter · 163 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT · Rush 6 for 50 · Sacked 0 |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest by our grade | at UTEP | W 30-13 · Graded rough · 82 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT · Rush 4 for -19 · Lost a fumble · Sacked 2 |
| Stat | His | Nation | Mountain West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | 654 | 146th of 370 | 8th of 26 |
| Yards an attempt | 7.3 | T-83rd of 152 | 5th of 8 |
| Touchdown passes | 3 | T-151st of 370 | T-8th of 26 |
| Passer rating | 127.9 | 109th of 152 | 6th of 8 |
| Completion percentage | 59.6 | T-115th of 152 | 7th of 8 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 144th of 370 | 13th of 26 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 1 | T-117th of 370 | T-9th of 26 |
Counting stats rank all FBS quarterbacks with a pass attempt; the rates rank those with at least 10 attempts a game.
| Rk | Quarterback | Yards | TD | INT | Att | Y/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Micah Alejado | 2,186 | 9 | 6 | 337 | 6.5 |
| 2 | Luke Weaver | 1,810 | 11 | 8 | 242 | 7.5 |
| 3 | Nathan Hayes | 1,710 | 13 | 8 | 228 | 7.5 |
| 4 | Jackson Arnold | 1,660 | 13 | 4 | 212 | 7.8 |
| 5 | Taron Dickens | 1,617 | 8 | 6 | 247 | 6.5 |
| 6 | Toa Faavae | 888 | 5 | 7 | 101 | 8.8 |
| 7 | EJ Colson | 687 | 7 | 5 | 99 | 6.9 |
| 8 | Carter Jones | 654 | 3 | 2 | 89 | 7.3 |
| 9 | AJ Bianco | 397 | 2 | 3 | 71 | 5.6 |
| 10 | Liam Szarka | 296 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 7.8 |
| 11 | Luke Duncan | 265 | 2 | 5 | 55 | 4.8 |
| 12 | Luke Moga | 248 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 6.5 |
| 13 | Daniel Rolovich | 193 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7.4 |
| 14 | Evan Medders | 92 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 6.6 |
| 15 | Robert McDaniel | 48 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3.7 |
| 16 | Trey Drake | 35 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8.8 |
| 17 | Brady Davidson | 27 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4.5 |
| 18 | Braesen Leon | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 |
| 19 | Jalen Macon | 20 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 1.5 |
| 20 | Josh Johnson | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5.0 |
| 21 | Bjorn Jurgensen | 13 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1.6 |
| 22 | Alex Orji | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1.8 |
| 23 | Preston Brown | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.0 |
| 24 | Reeve Slone | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1.0 |
| 25 | James Laubstein | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| 26 | Kemper Hodges | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 |
Sorted by passing yards. Gray: under 10 attempts a game, so not ranked on yards an attempt.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to -1 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Moun and Givens saw 42 of the 90 charted throws.
| Receiver | Targets, caught | Targets | Catches | Yards | Throw depth | After catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damien Moun | 23 | 17 | 108 | 5.1 | 2.1 | |
| Gary Givens III | 19 | 12 | 210 | 11.9 | 7.6 | |
| Herschel Turner | 9 | 6 | 76 | -4.6 | 24.3 | |
| Dominic Kelley | 9 | 6 | 60 | 1.7 | 9.8 | |
| Donnie Cheers | 8 | 2 | 82 | 22.1 | 4.5 | |
| 7 others | 19 | 11 | 118 | 8.3 | 6.5 | |
| No receiver charted | 3 | Both interceptions are among these | ||||
Play by play: 90 passes, 54 caught, 654 yards; the box score counts 89 attempts. Throw depth: average air yards per target. After catch: average yards after the catch per catch. Bar: targets; the blue part was caught.
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Totals here are the box score's. Play-by-play lists 90 passing plays (54 completions) against the box score's 89 attempts (53 completions), and the depth buckets use play-by-play.
Adjusted ANY/A
5.98119 of 185 QBsSack rate
7.3%140 of 185 QBsSacked on 7.3% of dropbacks (140 of 185) and Adjusted ANY/A trails the field (119 of 185).
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 59.6% completion on 89 attempts · 40% completion on 15 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
2 seasons under Jeff Choate — 6-14 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 194 | 1.0 | 9.2 | 0.5 |
| Road2g | 134 | 0.5 | 5.8 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 164 | 0.8 | 7.5 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Choate
Pass share
43.4%
221 pass / 288 run
Plays / game
63.6
8 games
Scheme: Run-leaning.
| Carter Jones | Threw in 4 of 8 games · 53 of 89, 654 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT · 7.3 yards an attempt on 89 attempts · ran for 57 yds, 1 TD |
| AJ Bianco | Threw in 5 of 8 games · 37 of 71, 397 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT · 5.6 yards an attempt on 71 attempts · ran for 76 yds, 2 TD |
| Luke Duncan | Threw in 4 of 8 games · 26 of 55, 265 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT · 4.8 yards an attempt on 55 attempts · ran for -10 yds, 0 TD |
| Reeve Slone | Threw in 2 of 8 games · 1 of 4, 4 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT · 1.0 yards an attempt on 4 attempts · ran for 18 yds, 0 TD |
Box score. Every quarterback on the team who has thrown a pass this season.
Who threw in each quarter. Blue: Carter Jones. Gray: AJ Bianco, Luke Duncan, Reeve Slone. From the play by play.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer passes and runs a game than most FBS quarterbacks who play every week.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #12 of 14 Mountain West QBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
The No. 1,629 recruit in the country is starting at quarterback in the Mountain West.
2026 is in progress.
Honored in a first season.
