Rebels face another backup QB

UNLV received the worst possible news regarding the quarterback situation - but not its own.

There was no announcement Monday about the status of injured redshirt freshman Nick Sherry.

Instead, the Rebels began getting ready to face another opposing backup quarterback when they play at San Diego State at 5 p.m. Saturday.

UNLV already is 0-3 this season against reserve quarterbacks, losing to Northern Arizona, Washington State and UNR. Now the Rebels will have to face Aztecs sophomore Adam Dingwell.

"A lot of the guys we've played that have been backup quarterbacks are somewhat veteran," coach Bobby Hauck said. "They're guys that have started games and all of that. So my sense of humor early in the season was their backups were more experienced than our starter. (Dingwell's) a capable guy. It showed up last weekend."

San Diego State (5-3, 3-1 Mountain West Conference) lost starting quarterback Ryan Katz for the season when he broke his left ankle during Saturday's 39-38 overtime victory at UNR.

Katz had completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,348 yards and 13 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

Dingwell started slowly against the Wolf Pack, but put together a strong fourth quarter by completing 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards.

"He did some good things," Hauck said. "Their offense didn't change. He's very similar to Katz in (that) he'll pull it down and run it. They've got some designed runs for him."

Even with Katz, the Aztecs' offensive strength was on the ground. They average 216.6 yards rushing per game, fourth in the Mountain West and 22nd nationally. So UNLV (1-7, 1-2) has more to be concerned about than Dingwell.

But don't be surprised if the Aztecs attempt some deep passes against a UNLV secondary that has gotten burned on post patterns. The Rebels allow a 262.5-yard passing average.

At least they know for sure which quarterback they will face. The Rebels had to guess the three previous times as opposing coaches waited until game time to tip their hands.

"When you look at film, (knowing) of course is going to help a little bit, but as a defense, we're prepared to play anybody," cornerback Kenny Brown said.

Regarding UNLV's own quarterback, Sherry's status could be clarified today when the weekly injury report is released. Or Hauck might try to keep San Diego State guessing until game time.

Should UNLV decide early this week to sit Sherry, who apparently hurt his back in Saturday's 32-7 loss at Boise State, junior Caleb Herring probably will start. Herring started eight games last season.

Senior Sean Reilly took the final snaps against Boise State because Herring had worked with the receivers all week in practice.

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