Mark Anderson has been at the Review-Journal since January 1999. He covered UNLV football for 17 seasons before moving to the men’s basketball beat in January 2016, and was president of the Football Writers Association of America in 2016. Before coming to the R-J, he covered UNR football for five seasons at the Reno Gazette-Journal and was the high school sports reporter for the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat from 1988-94. He is a native of Tallahassee and a graduate of the University of Florida.
Southern California named freshman JT Daniels its starting quarterback for Saturday’s season-opening football game against UNLV at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. UNLV has its own young promising quarterback in sophomore Armani Rogers, who hopes last season’s experience pays off.
UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois saw a lot of positives in her first year, with five conference championships coming from Olympic sports. But she knows most of the focus is on football and men’s basketball.
UNLV safety Dalton Baker does more than play with passion. It’s his attention to detail — the less glamorous but perhaps more important stuff — that elevated him to team captain as a senior.
UNLV has policies and protocols for offseason football conditioning and training camp designed to increase player safety. Maryland football player Jordan McNair died after offseason workouts due to heatstroke.
UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers grew up in Los Angeles, but he cheered for Texas against USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. He hopes to lead UNLV to what would be a shocking victory over the Trojans on Sept. 1.
UNLV junior defensive end Nick Dehdashtian will miss the football season because of a Lisfranc fracture on his left foot. He was expected to compete with senior Jameer Outsey for the starting spot.
UNLV sophomore quarterback Armani Rogers made up for a shaky showing a week earlier in a scrimmage. He had only one incomplete pass Saturday, and that was a drop in the end zone.
UNLV will receive $1.15 million for its Sept. 1 football trip to Southern California. The Rebels must balance the importance of such high-payout games against the needs of moving the program forward.
Saturday evening is the final chance for UNLV football players fighting for jobs to state their case before the team heads full time into preparation for the Sept. 1 season opener at Southern California.
UNLV redshirt freshman offensive left tackle Ashton Morgan figures to be in the rotation this season. His dad, Sean, is the mayor of Chico, California.
Mike Bradeson was the last UNLV defensive coordinator to oversee consistently good defenses. New coordinator Tim Skipper is trying to revive the Rebels’ defense.
UNLV’s football team will be on AT&T SportsNet three times this season. The Rebels also will stream its Sept. 15 game against Prairie View A&M on their website through the Mountain West Network.
UNLV has 13 players who began their college careers at other four-year institutions. Some are playing major roles for the Rebels.
UNLV’s football training camp has not produced much news, which is what a fourth-year coach would want. Coach Tony Sanchez and his staff turn their attention to USC beginning next week.
JD Alexander is pushing for a backup linebacker spot at UNLV. He transferred from Arizona State largely because of his dad, Del, a former Rebels assistant football coach who also knew UNLV coach Tony Sanchez.
