Berry tries to make sure offense well-coordinated

Stand 30 yards away as UNLV’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach tutors redshirt freshman quarterback Travis Dixon one-on-one and it’s nearly impossible to hear the conversation.

What is in Berry’s nature is poring over every nuance of a play and trying to make sure his players do the same.

“If you don’t understand, he’ll break it down to little bits and pieces until you understand it,” Dixon said. “Some coaches will just tell you when you ask questions. They really don’t want to break it down for you and take the time.”

Berry believes a few extra minutes spent explaining something in a meeting room or on the practice field will be time saved later on, preventing mistakes and enabling players to go full speed on every play.

He took five minutes in practice to explain a particular passing play last Thursday morning.

“It was something we needed to adjust our protection on, understanding the ball might be taking some different angles and come out at different times to the receivers based on what we’re seeing,” Berry said. “I would rather have them understand it the first time than run it 15 times and run it wrong.”

Berry, 46, said he was influenced early on to attend to such small matters as a graduate assistant under then-Tennessee coach Johnny Majors in 1983. Two stints as a head coach — at Illinois State from 1996 to 1999 and Army from 2000 to 2003 — reinforced Berry’s belief in attention to detail.

He took a special interest in the spread offense while at Army and tried to install it. But the Black Knights’ top two quarterbacks were injured two years in a row during summer military training, and Berry didn’t want to run such a complex system with young replacements.

“When I got fired at Army, I was looking for someplace where I could run it. I was so fascinated with it,” said Berry, who was 5-35 at West Point.

Berry found his opportunity at Louisiana-Monroe, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2004 and 2005. In that final season, quarterback Steven Jyles was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, and the Warhawks shared the league title.

That success led Berry to Miami, where he was the quarterbacks coach last season. Berry said Hurricanes coach Larry Coker was interested in the spread offense but didn’t make a strong move toward the system until a week before the MPC Computers Bowl — and after the coaching staff had been fired.

Miami beat UNR 21-20 in the bowl game.

Berry needed a job, and UNLV had an opening after offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Noah Brindise resigned about three weeks after the season.

Rebels coach Mike Sanford took over more of the play-calling duties late last season, and he made all the calls on offense in UNLV’s 42-39 victory over Air Force in the finale.

But Sanford has confidently handed the play-calling chores over to Berry, whom he got to know in the spring of 2005 when Berry and other Louisiana-Monroe coaches traveled to Las Vegas to see how Sanford, hired the previous December, was implementing the spread offense.

“When I heard they were let go at Miami, (Berry) was the first guy I called,” Sanford said.

He said most casual fans won’t notice many differences between the offense under Berry and last season’s under Brindise but that there will be more misdirection and more ways to run.

Although the changes might appear minor, wide receiver Casey Flair said, the players are learning practically a new playbook.

“Coach Berry likes things done his way,” Flair said. “We’ve learned through camp if things are done his way, things are going to happen and things are going to go right.”

When things don’t go right, Berry is able to stay calm — most of the time.

The few times he does yell, it’s to capture his players’ attention.

“He takes charge of things, and he does things that he wants to do the way he wants done,” tailback David Peeples said. “If guys don’t do them right, he gets on their (case).”

• NOTES — UNLV returned home Tuesday, signaling the end of preseason training camp. The Rebels are off today before returning to practice Thursday morning to begin work on the Aug. 30 season opener at Utah State. Workouts for the rest of the season are closed to the public. … Junior defensive end Luke Plante has a sprained right knee and will be out two weeks.