UNLV starters catch a break at scrimmage in Ely

ELY -- UNLV's primary and perhaps only scrimmage resembled more of an early preseason game in the NFL.

Most of the front-line players either didn't play or played little Saturday because coaches wanted answers to the larger questions still facing the Rebels.

And after a demanding training camp, some players needed a break.

"In a word, I'd describe us as tired," coach Bobby Hauck said. "We looked very fatigued as a football team.

"There are certain guys we have a real good sense of what they can do. But there are a lot of guys we need to get a better feel for and know exactly what they can do, so they got a few more plays."

That meant redshirt freshman Caleb Herring, currently the No. 3 quarterback, received most of the work. Taking snaps with the second-team offense, he completed 9 of 10 passes for 57 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Tate Knutson. Herring also rushed for 14 yards on five carries.

"The past couple of days haven't been as much of a hands-on experience," Herring said. "I felt good about actually getting out there (Saturday) and performing."

Senior Omar Clayton and junior Mike Clausen, splitting repetitions with the first-team offense, combined to throw just seven passes -- completing three for 38 yards -- and rush five times for 36 yards.

It was a similar approach at tailback, with freshman Tim Cornett receiving most of the carries, gaining 32 yards on eight attempts. Senior Channing Trotter and redshirt freshman Bradley Randle, who have been sharing first-team reps, combined to rush 10 times for 18 yards.

Cornett said UNLV's coaches wanted to take a close look at him and see "if I knew assignments" to gauge how he compares with the other backs.

It was obvious this wasn't a typical scrimmage when Clausen drove the starting offense to the defense's 20-yard line, then was replaced by Herring and the second-team offense.

Coaches also ran a conservative scrimmage after letting the quarterbacks air it out in earlier practices. They clearly wanted to see how the run offense and run defense -- both weaknesses last season -- would look with the season opener two weeks away.

UNLV plays No. 12 Wisconsin on Sept. 4 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"What we really wanted to do was see live blocking and live tackling," Hauck said. "We've got to see if we can stop the run on defense, whether we can tackle people in space."

Hauck still has some decisions to make, most notably at quarterback, and hasn't ruled out another scrimmage.

With the Rebels taking today and Monday off, he'll have time to think about whether he needs another scrimmage, but he was mostly pleased with this one.

"We got what we wanted," Hauck said.

■ NOTES -- Sophomore backup offensive tackle Shane Watterson injured his left ankle, but the severity was unknown. Most players who have missed recent practices with injuries again sat out, but sophomore wide receiver Mark Barefield (knee) returned. ... The Rebels bused back to Las Vegas. They next practice at 3:55 p.m. Tuesday at Rebel Park. All practices are open to the public.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.