UNLV still undecided on starting QB for season opener

Five days before its season opener, UNLV still doesn’t have a starting quarterback.

Redshirt sophomore Doug Brumfield and sophomore transfer Harrison Bailey are listed No. 1 on the depth chart for the Rebels, who open the season Saturday against Idaho State at Allegiant Stadium.

On Monday, during his first weekly news conference of the season, coach Marcus Arroyo wouldn’t commit to naming a starter, saying he would make a decision later in the week.

“Both those guys did a great job during fall camp and will continue to share reps this week,” said Arroyo, in his third season as coach.

Brumfield made two starts last season but was limited to three games because of injuries. Bailey spent two years at Tennessee, where he made three starts, before transferring to UNLV.

Junior wide receiver Kyle Williams said he doesn’t know who will be throwing to him Saturday, but even if he did, he wasn’t going to say.

“My lips are sealed,” Williams said with a chuckle.

What Williams does know is that he’s confident Brumfield and Bailey are capable of leading the offense.

“Each quarterback has the potential to start,” he said. “They’ve competed every day, worked hard and show traits and characteristics we need from our starter.”

Arroyo also is confident that either quarterback can help the Rebels get off to a better start than last season.

In its opener against Eastern Washington, UNLV overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit before losing 35-33 in double overtime. Brumfield came off the bench and rallied the Rebels, throwing for 117 yards and rushing for 27 and a touchdown.

Arroyo, whose team finished 2-10, said he has taken the experience from last year’s first week and made adjustments in how UNLV prepares for Saturday’s game.

“How you start will tell you a lot about how the season will go,” fifth-year senior linebacker Austin Ajiake said. “How we come out is going to display what we’re about as a team.”

The Eastern Washington game was the first of six games the Rebels lost by one score.

During the offseason, Arroyo and his staff focused on “shrinking the gap” on what they thought was the difference in those close losses. Their approach has helped reinforce his message to his team about starting and finishing well.

“We’ve used it as a reminder and a chip on our shoulder that it only takes a couple of plays here or there. … if you flip a couple of those plays that’s the difference in a game,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo said his players have accepted the challenge and made adjustments that could help them prevail in close games.

Williams said the offense used those close losses as motivation to work harder in the offseason, and he thinks the team will be better prepared for those moments this season.

“We’re just more in tune and connected to say now we can do this,” he said. “We have what it takes to finish.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.