Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

unlv football:

Rebels’ backup QB battle nearing conclusion

Spring Football Practice

L.E. Baskow

The UNLV football team conducts their first spring practice of the year with QB Armani Rogers (1) and Kurt Palandech (14) on Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

UNLV is relying on redshirt freshman quarterback Armani Rogers to lead a program turnaround this season, but if recent history is any indication, the Rebels will have to rely on their backup QB at some point along the way, too.

No quarterback has started every game of a season in Tony Sanchez’s three years as coach, which puts an added importance on the training camp battle between seniors Kurt Palandech and Johnny Stanton for the No. 2 job.

Rogers may seem indestructible at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, but given the perils of the position, Sanchez understands that there’s a good chance he’ll have to turn to Rogers’ backup eventually, whether it’s for a month, a game or a single series.

“I don’t think we’ve had a quarterback start every single game in a season in a long time,” Sanchez said after Wednesday's practice at Rebel Park. “Hopefully that trend changes, but nowadays if you’re the backup you’d better be preparing like you’re the starter.”

The good news for UNLV is that Palandech and Stanton both have game experience under Sanchez. They have been splitting reps with the No. 2 offense during training camp, and the competition is tight.

“Right now, I’m not ready to call it,” Sanchez said. “I think they both do some pretty special things, and a lot of it may depend on the opponent and what it is we’re trying to accomplish [that week].”

Stanton began 2016 as the opening-week starter, but lasted just four games before a knee injury knocked him out for the season. He passed for 676 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions during the first month of the season, and Sanchez praised Stanton’s strong arm.

Palandech has been a primary backup for two years, and he started three games apiece in 2015 and 2016. He completed just 50.5 percent of his passes last year, but Sanchez loves his running ability (359 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 48 attempts) and leadership.

For now, Palandech appears to be edging ahead in the race for the No. 2 position.

“It’s good to see Kurt healthy, and to me he’s maybe a tad bit ahead right now,” Sanchez said. “But Johnny is right on his heels.”

Palandech has a ton of experience after playing in 22 games over the past two years, and he said he’s feeling more comfortable at the controls than ever before.

“I think I’m playing well,” Palandech said. “I have a good understanding of our offense, I feel comfortable out there and I’m doing a good job I think of just executing the offense. I feel this is the most prepared, physically and mentally, that I’ve been going into a season.”

Despite the internal jostling for a higher spot on the depth chart, Stanton said his fellow quarterbacks have been nothing but helpful.

“One of my favorite things about our quarterback room is that we’re all really supportive of each other,” Stanton said. “It’s the best quarterback room I’ve ever been in. We’re obviously all competitive with each other, because there’s only one job, but we really are all friends and that dynamic pushes all of us to get better.”

Sanchez will have to make a decision soon, as there are only six more training camp practices remaining, plus a mock game at Sam Boyd Stadium. During camp, there is enough time for all three quarterbacks to get plenty of repetitions, but once the Rebels go into game-week preparations for their Sept. 2 opener against Howard, Rogers will begin getting the vast majority of the reps.

The No. 2 will have to use the few remaining reps to stay sharp, while the No. 3 will mostly be relegated to mental preparation.

With Palandech and Stanton providing different playing styles, Sanchez said the battle will likely come down to which QB plays mistake-free football.

“Kurt obviously gives us an advantage as an elite runner. We’ve seen that in the past. He does a great job of making something good out of nothing. And Johnny does have that that elite arm. So it’s all going to come down to decision making.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy