Sanford left cupboard bare at UNLV

LOGAN, UTAH — Mike Sanford has come here, a place discovered when Brigham Young sent Mormon settlers to survey the site of a fort near the banks of a river, a town 82 miles north of Salt Lake City that lies near the slopes of the northernmost branch of the Wasatch Range, to continue a journey.

He hopes it leads to a second opportunity as a college football head coach.

We know how the first one went.

UNLV plays its first road game of the season tonight when it meets Utah State at Romney Stadium, where the running backs/tight ends coach for the Aggies will know well the history of those visiting.

The last time many associated with UNLV saw Sanford, he was holding a news conference hours after being fired as Rebels coach in November 2009, bringing to a close a five-year tenure that produced a 16-43 record and directly has influenced the struggling program Bobby Hauck now directs.

"I have no idea where the perception came from that I didn't take responsibility for what happened" at UNLV, Sanford said. "I did, and I do. At the same time, it was a long time ago, and I've moved on. I enjoyed my time at UNLV. I learned a lot from the experience and grew from it as a coach and person."

The perception came from this: It's fact.

I was there. Sat through those 27 minutes. Recorded every word. While being shown the door at UNLV, Sanford never once took direct blame for what happened on the field under his watch, never once pointed the finger at himself for 16-43.

He instead talked about a lack of support from the community and university while continuously citing poor facilities as reasons for the Rebels not winning. Funny. Sanford made excellent points that led to locker rooms and practice fields being updated, from which Hauck and his team benefit.

But he didn't mention this: Recruiting under Sanford's guidance was awful, to the point Hauck inherited a program with few players capable of winning at a Football Bowl Subdivision level.

Of the 63 or so scholarship players Hauck first saw, 10 were of the backup mold, and almost 30 couldn't play much at all. There was no speed to speak of beyond defensive back Deante Purvis. That's right. One guy truly could run in a way you need to be successful at this level.

One legitimate defensive lineman (Isaako Aaitui) and one good offensive lineman (Matt Murphy) were in the program.

The truth: The Rebels were bad and slow under Sanford to the point Hauck's final four teams at Montana owned far more talent and would have beaten UNLV like a drum most weeks.

It never should be that way. It was.

Of those recruiting risks Sanford took, few lasted long enough to see the field. He approached recruiting in an admirable and yet short-sided view for a perennial losing program such as UNLV, believing that a majority of high school players/good kids could produce enough wins.

Sanford was the personification of the successful offensive coordinator who failed as a head coach, unable to properly evaluate prep players and then being stuck with all the recruiting misses.

You can survive one 5-foot-9-inch linebacker who runs 5.1 in the 40-yard dash. You can't survive a team of them.

It's true Hauck must own his 5-24 record at UNLV and losses such as last season to Southern Utah and New Mexico and the one to Northern Arizona three weeks ago. It's squarely on his shoulders for not having the Rebels prepared or focused enough to win games they must.

But when grading his performance, it's impossible not to consider the hand he was dealt in terms of insufficient talent. Hauck hasn't proven a thing at this level. His best coaching days ultimately might prove those winning times at Montana. You can't dress up 5-24.

His recruiting, however, has shown signs of a serious upgrade from the previous coaching staff. Whether he is given the time to see the effort through is another's decision.

The last guy got five years.

We know how that went.

"What happened at (UNLV) happened, and I can't do anything about that now," said Sanford, who before arriving to Utah State was fired as offensive coordinator at Louisville. "I would love to have the opportunity to be a head coach again and feel I could take a lot of my experiences at UNLV and be more ready and prepared and better off for it the next time.

"I'm thankful to be at Utah State. We have a saying here that goes, 'Players make plays. Players win games.' "

He didn't leave near enough good ones at UNLV.

That's not perception.

It's fact.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on "Gridlock," ESPN 1100 and 98.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.