Nevermind that Colin Kaepernick has already proved himself at the collegiate level.

Last year’s Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year has made only nine starts as the orchestrator of Nevada’s Pistol offense, and according to his head coach, Kaepernick remains a work in progress.

“He’s getting there,” Nevada coach Chris Ault said of his sophomore quarterback. “To be honest with you, I anticipated more out of him this season when he came back. He’s just now catching up to where I thought he would be.”

That should be a scary thought for Nevada’s opponents, including Texas Tech, which will face the Wolf Pack today at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nev. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Kaepernick shared the snaps with three other quarterbacks in Nevada’s season-opening win over Grambling State, and he still threw for 122 yards on 10-of-17 passing.

He also rushed for 51 yards and a team-high three touchdowns, breaking loose for scoring runs of 28, 19 and 7 yards.

“He’s a terrific runner and does a nice job with that,” said Ault, whose team rushed for 426 of its 629 total yards last week. “I think he’s gotten faster since last year. He gives us another dimension – there’s no question about it – and we certainly want to take advantage.”

Kaepernick, who wasn’t made available for comment, took over for the injured Nick Graziano in the fifth game of 2007. In less than nine full games, he passed for 2,175 yards and 19 touchdowns with only three interceptions, and his 150.8 passer rating ranked 10th in the nation. He also flashed his running ability as a freshman, galloping for 53.9 yards per game and six touchdowns.

After last year’s game against New Mexico State, in which Kaepernick passed for 237 yards, rushed for 136 and accounted for five TDs, he was honored as the WAC Player of the Week.

Kaepernick’s capabilities aren’t lost on Tech coach Mike Leach, who knows a thing or two about solid quarterback play.

“It might be the best quarterback we face all year,” Leach said.