2011 UNLV Rebels Football Preview

Head coach Bobby Hauck enters his second year as the director of the Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels, trying to get the program on the right footing. The Rebels have just a 27 percent winning rate in the 12 years they have been a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Rebs haven’t been to a bowl game since 2000. Hauck certainly is known for winning - he led FCS power Montana to a number of playoff appearances and firmly established himself as an elite coach in the Big Sky Conference. Turning around UNLV has been a big challenge, however; this part of the Rocky Mountain region isn’t so easy to climb and conquer. Hauck berated student reporters during his tenure at Montana, acting like a big fish in a small pond. Now that he’s at UNLV, Hauck is being humbled by the competition. The college football world will find out this fall of Hauck’s offseason was spent productively or not.

The Rebels return seven offensive starters and are looking to find more consistency, as is the case with any program trying to gain a foothold in the cutthroat world of Division I competition. Sophomore Caleb Herring was awarded the starting spot at quarterback as spring practice ended. Hauck was not confident enough to make the position permanent, however, and Herring will be challenged by junior college transfer Sean Reilly well into August practice, by the looks of things. The running back position is open as well, with Tim Cornett looking to grab the starting gig. The Rebels are searching for an offensive playmaker and wide receiver Philip Payne has shown signs of becoming a go-to target during his previous three years in Sin City. If the Rebels are successful this season, Payne will play a huge role – the people who like to let it ride in Vegas would put some money on that statement.

UNLV’s defense struggled mightily last season, giving up over 30 points in each of its 11 losses and over 40 in nine of those defeats. The Rebels gave up 450 yards per game last season and were unable to get consistent stands to help their struggling offense. Hauck has been guarded about the level of improvement that expects to be seen this season. He claims the Rebels are still young and undermanned, but his statements indicate that he felt the unit was heading in the right direction when 2010 ended.

The Rebels play seven road games, four of which are against teams that finished the season ranked 11th or better. UNLV opens with back-to-back road contests against BCS teams, as the Rebels travel to Wisconsin and Washington State to open the season. UNLV played one of the toughest schedules in the nation last season and with road games at Nevada, TCU, and Air Force, the 2011 slate might not be any easier. Bobby Hauck has his work cut out for him – he’s not in Kansas… or Montana… anymore.

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