RENO, Nev. >> There will be, weather permitting, maybe 15,000 on hand here tonight at Mackay Stadium as well as an ESPN2 TV audience for the 4:30 p.m. (Hawaii time) University of Hawaii and Nevada football game.

And, then, there will be the one here they reverently call the “Little General,” Chris Ault, looking on.

He is a legend in Nevada, this still-fiery 72-year old Patton-esque figure, who was a College Football Hall of Fame coach at Nevada, and former Wolf Pack quarterback regarded as the inventor of the pistol offense and a shaper of men.

One of whom is the UH coach, Nick Rolovich.

“Coach Ault definitely had an impact,” said Rolovich, who has ample reason to want to display some of what he learned in this important Mountain West Conference opener for a pair of 3-1 teams.

Rolovich’s offensive philosophy is a curious fusion of two schoolmasters disparate in theory and personality, the laid-back, let-it-fly June Jones of the run-and-shoot and the button-down, by-the-numbers Ault and his pistol.

Rolovich spent seven years in run-and-shoot systems, including two hands-on years as a quarterback and two more as a graduate assistant directly under Jones. When he wasn’t retained by Norm Chow in 2012 in the aftermath of Greg McMackin’s departure, Rolovich briefly signed on at Massachusetts until an opening developed at Nevada to study under Ault.

At a time when coaches from across the country were trekking to Reno in the offseason to pick his brain on elements of the pistol, and Ault had his choice from a pool of eager assistant coaching hopefuls, Rolovich was selected to learn at his elbow.

Ault had liked the grit with which Rolovich had played for UH and was intrigued with how he had tried to infuse pieces of the pistol into the Rainbow Warriors’ offense as a coordinator in 2010 and 2011.

“With all the tradition Hawaii had with the run-and-shoot and Rolo having played under it, I was impressed with him because it showed he wasn’t afraid to try something new,” Ault said.

“I thought, ‘He’s not just one of those guys who just locks on to something he’s known all his (career), but is willing to expand his knowledge. I loved looking at film of what he was trying to do.”

At Nevada, Rolovich said he found “a whole new world where you wear a collared shirt and shoes to work and a program that is in (Ault’s) image, where field position and running the ball are everything.”

“If he sensed any lull (in your toil) you were gonna hear about it,” Rolovich said. “There was some motivation through fear, but it worked for him. Everybody who worked for him said it was some of the hardest times but you learned so much and you gained great appreciation for the passion he had for the job and his school.”

At times, Rolovich, true to his mischievous nature, would test Ault’s stiffness.

“I’d try to get a giggle out of him, but you had to carefully pick your spots,” Rolovich said.

Such as the time Rolovich was set to give a presentation to the coaching staff and showed up in a bowler hat and suit with an iPad.

“He couldn’t help but giggle,” Rolovich said.

“He blended right in and became a contributor,” Ault said. “The players loved being around him and I had great faith in his observations of our quarterback play.”

Rolovich did well enough that when Ault retired after the 2012 season, the new regime made sure to keep him on as an offensive coordinator.

“I’d like to think his time with us was a nice opportunity for Rolo to learn and grow,” Ault said.

Tonight, the “Little General” can gauge this former lieutenant for himself.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.