Rebels’ holdovers express confidence

All college football programs become defined by their coaches, and Bobby Hauck is quickly stamping his disciplined, old-school identity on UNLV as he enters his second season.

He is bringing in his players and coaching them his way.

It can be easy to forget there is a whole group of players still on the team signed by previous coach Mike Sanford. They want to win just as badly as the Hauck-signed players.

"My class came here for a reason," running back Bradley Randle said of the recruits who arrived in 2009. "Me, Caleb (Herring), Mark Barefield, we want to change everything around. I think this is the year we're going to start doing it."

Perhaps the program is on the right track -- UNLV honchos think so, having decided to extend Hauck's contract by two years through 2014 -- but the immediate future doesn't appear rosy.

The Rebels, 2-11 last year, were picked by the media to finish seventh in the eight-team Mountain West Conference.

UNLV has struggled for so long and created so much apathy that more fan excitement is generated about potential recruits new basketball coach Dave Rice is trying to sign, rather than how the football team will play. The Rebels open at 5 p.m. PDT today at No. 11 Wisconsin.

Hauck wants fans to notice his program, but he isn't rushing to turn football into a winner. The Rebels, for the second year in a row, will field one of the nation's youngest teams.

They played 23 freshmen last season, including 14 first-year players. UNLV won't play that many again, but all it takes is a quick look at the number of freshmen and sophomores who help make up the depth chart to understand the extent of this team's inexperience.

One of the youngsters is Herring, the sophomore starting quarterback. Herring said he doesn't pay attention to the dour forecasts from outsiders.

"If we come into every game with the confidence everybody else has for us, the results are going to be obvious," Herring said. "We definitely have confidence in ourselves, and it's building day by day. We can see the improvement from day one till now. We're just hoping that by the time Sept. 1 comes, we'll be ready."

Herring will have a group of receivers that should be among the Mountain West's best. Seniors Phillip Payne and Michael Johnson combined to catch 91 passes for 1,260 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Sophomore Marcus Sullivan, who averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return, showed in the spring and in training camp he could be on the verge of becoming a big-play receiving star.

Randle and fellow sophomore Tim Cornett, who led UNLV with 546 yards rushing and six touchdowns last season, give the Rebels a nice 1-2 combination at running back. Freshman Dionza Bradford or sophomore Imari Thompson will be the third back in the rotation.

Though the Rebels would seem to be in good shape at the skill positions, the offensive line is another matter. No seniors are on the roster, inviting possible trouble for Herring and the running backs.

UNLV's defensive line is more experienced, but concerns linger about a unit that struggled badly last season. Increased depth, though, could help the line show at least some improvement.

The linebackers received a boost from two newcomers, junior college transfers Princeton Jackson and John Lotulelei. Both could begin the season coming off the bench, but they have shown an aggressiveness and ability that could help them make major impacts.

UNLV's secondary is the strongest part of the defense, led by senior cornerback Quinton Pointer and sophomore safety Eric Tuiloma-Va'a. But the defensive backs will struggle if the front can't force opposing quarterbacks to quickly get rid of the ball, which was a major issue last season.

Though the Rebels appear to be putting the pieces in place for future success, for this season, plenty of room for improvement remains. UNLV was outscored by an average of 40-18 last season, and the Rebels were outgained by more than 175 yards per game (450.5-274.2).

The schedule isn't as brutal as last season's, but it's not easy, either. After Wisconsin, the Rebels travel to Washington State, and they end the season at perennial power Texas Christian. And in between, Boise State -- another national power, in its first year in the MWC -- visits UNLV.

If the Rebels are to have much success, they must be competitive on the road. They play seven away games, and went 0-7 in such contests last season.

"We're playing two BCS conference teams on the road (at the beginning)," Hauck said. "It sure would be nice to get off to a good start, but that's a pretty tall order for a team that has not played well on the road."

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