Rebel quarterback Decker listed as day-to-day with hamstring injury

By Taylor Bern

Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 | 1:15 p.m.

Senior quarterback Blake Decker is considered day-to-day after leaving Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury, UNLV announced this afternoon.

Decker went down with a noncontact injury while scrambling for a first down on the final play of the first quarter against No. 13 UCLA at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Rebels (0-2) trailed 10-0 at the time and would go on to lose 37-3.

Decker battled through many upper-body injuries last year, missing one start but playing in every game. His replacement on Saturday, sophomore Kurt Palandech, went 4-of-15 for four yards with 31 rushing yards, an interception and two fumbles (one lost).

Palandech is now listed at the top of the depth chart. His backup is true freshman Dalton Sneed, whom the team had planned to redshirt. If Decker misses more than just this weekend’s trip to Michigan, it’s all but guaranteed Sneed’s redshirt will come off, and that might be the case anyway.

UNLV doesn’t have any other quarterbacks available on the roster. Redshirt freshman Kevin Thomson is out for the year after Tommy John surgery, and walk-on Christian Lopez from Green Valley High isn’t eligible.

If the Rebels need to look elsewhere on the roster, defensive back Troy Hawthorne entered the program as a quarterback. He’s the team’s holder and went 0-for-1 on passing attempts Saturday after the Rebels’ fake field goal attempt was blown up.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.