No word on Hauck’s fate after Northern Arizona stuns UNLV

Bobby Hauck went to work Sunday, and even with many fans calling for him to be fired, there was no immediate indication he would be ousted as UNLV's football coach.

What happens in the future, especially following the stunning 17-14 loss to Northern Arizona on Saturday, is another matter.

Athletic director Jim Livengood and university president Neal Smatresk aren't saying. Both said in text messages they wouldn't comment.

Hauck didn't want to discuss his job status, either.

Many UNLV fans took to social media and reached out to the Las Vegas Review-Journal to vent their frustrations, most criticizing Hauck and some calling for the football program to be terminated.

The reality is the program lacks the big-dollar donors who would pressure UNLV's administrators to act quickly. The dearth of big-buck boosters also means the school might not have the cash to hire a big-name coach if it lets Hauck go - or even to pay off the remainder of his $350,000-a-year contract, which goes through 2014.

Bruce Bayne, former president of the UNLV Football Foundation, said he generally thought the program was progressing.

"I give an 'E' for effort," Bayne said.

Kevin Page, vice chairman of the Board of Regents, said any decision on Hauck is up to Livengood and Smatresk. He didn't offer his own opinion.

"Am I disappointed? Absolutely. That was a tough loss," Page said. "At the same time, I have pretty good confidence in Jim Livengood and Neal (that) they'll make the right call."

Regent Mark Alden said he believed this wasn't the time to make a change in a program that has four senior starters.

"He came into the program that had the cupboard absolutely bare," Alden said. "You're dealing with kids, and it will take time. They made lots of mistakes. That's not the coaches' fault. The players didn't play up to the standard they should play."

The Rebels, who play Washington State at 6 p.m. Friday at Sam Boyd Stadium, are 0-2 this season and 4-23 in two-plus seasons under Hauck. Three of the worst losses in UNLV history - NAU on Saturday, and Southern Utah and New Mexico last season - occurred under Hauck.

Some UNLV players posted on Facebook their frustrations over the loss to NAU, which, like Southern Utah, plays in the Football Championship Subdivision - a level below UNLV.

"I am ashamed," backup quarterback Caleb Herring wrote.

From cornerback Sidney Hodge: "Bad nights like these make you rethink your future. Live n learn tho."

And from linebacker Eric Tuiloma-Va'a: "Game over on to the next. Sorry to the fans we let you down."

The Rebels don't have many fans left to disappoint. Sam Boyd was mostly empty the first two games, with announced crowds of 16,013 for the opener against Minnesota and 15,257 for NAU.

The apathy among Rebels fans has built up over many years toward a program that hasn't put together a winning season since 2000 and has been the epitome of futility for a quarter-century.

UNLV has gone through many coaches in search of a winner, and university officials hoped they made the right choice in Hauck, who went 80-17 in seven seasons at Montana.

He hasn't won at UNLV.

How much time Hauck will be given to prove he can is the question.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.