UNLV QB Sherry on record pace

Nick Sherry is 6 feet 5 inches tall and 235 pounds; Jon Denton was 6-3, 210 in 1996.

Sherry operates out of a traditional offense; Denton quarterbacked a receiver-friendly shotgun attack.

But Sherry’s start has stoked memories of Denton’s record-breaking redshirt freshman season. Denton set 10 NCAA freshman records, including 3,591 yards passing and 25 touchdowns thrown.

Whether Sherry, also a redshirt freshman, can put up similar numbers for UNLV this football season is difficult to predict, but his first three games have shown enormous potential.

He has passed for 712 yards and four touchdowns. Denton had 696 yards and two TDs through his first three games.

Sherry also is coming off a 357-yard, three-touchdown performance against Washington State on Sept. 14. That was the highest passing total by a UNLV quarterback since – you guessed it – Denton threw for 401 yards in 1997. Sherry’s 33 completions also tied Denton’s school record, set in 1996.

"He gets back up every single play," Denton said of Sherry. "He’s there for his teammates. He’s always picking everybody up. I’m not there on the field, but it seems the guys look up to him even though he’s young gradewise."

The schedule Sherry has begun with is nothing compared to what Denton, a Green Valley High School graduate who is nearing a degree at UNLV, faced to open the 1996 season.

UNLV (0-3), which plays Air Force (1-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium, has lost by a combined 14 points to Minnesota, Northern Arizona and Washington State.

The Rebels in 1996 played at No. 2 Tennessee and against Air Force and Wisconsin, losing by a combined 179-37.

"I knew we were going into a tough situation," Denton said. "I got up every single time I was knocked to the ground. Never show that you’re hurt. Even though we were losing by astronomical numbers, our offense did pretty well.

"In that third game when I threw that first touchdown pass, everything started to click after that."

Maybe the same will be true for Sherry, that lighting up Washington State will be the beginning of good things to come.

His potential has been evident since high school when Colorado offered him a scholarship. A coaching change there, though, left Sherry without a school, and UNLV jumped in and landed him.

Coaches considered playing him last season as the Rebels struggled to a 2-10 record, but they decided to save the year of eligibility.

The wait appears to be worth it, and UNLV’s coaches haven’t hesitated to put Sherry to work. He threw 50 passes against the Cougars and has thrown 114 for the season.

Not exactly easing in a first-year starter.

"He’s very intelligent," offensive coordinator Brent Myers said. "We’re trying to challenge him every time we can because he’s getting challenging defenses.

"And he’s handled it very well."

Denton likes what he has seen of Sherry and would love to see him in shotgun more often and with more three- and four-receiver formations.

Making such a move isn’t likely. Coach Bobby Hauck prefers the quarterback to be under center and make strong use of the tight end. Sherry also has a running back, Tim Cornett, who’s more talented than any who played with Denton.

How Sherry progresses is uncertain as the schedule starts to become considerably harder.

The Rebels embark on a stretch of six opponents in a row that were in bowls last season, and four of those games are on the road.

So more 357-yard performances might be difficult over the next month and a half, but Sherry already is off to a historic start.

"We’re 0-3, so it’s still hard to go on that" yardage output, Sherry said. "It just shows that I can play at this level, and with this team we can win some games."

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