Hauck era one step closer to kickoff as fall camp opens

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Aug. 6, 2010 | 10 p.m.

As if a 13-game schedule filled with nine opponents who played in bowl games last season isn't daunting enough for a first-year head coach, now preparing for that journey becomes real, with no vacation time left.

The UNLV football program, coming off of back-to-back 5-7 seasons and looking for a boost with Bobby Hauck now leading the way, opens fall practice on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. at Rebel Park.

The Rebels — picked by the Mountain West Conference media to finish eighth out of nine league teams — will have many more questions to answer than in recent years with the Sept. 4 opener at Sam Boyd Stadium against No. 12 Wisconsin roughly a month away.

Several of the storylines that will begin to unfold over the next four weeks include:

— The quarterback situation. Over the past two seasons, Omar Clayton — when healthy — has done little to make anyone question his position as the entrenched starter. Now a senior, he's taking on a new offense under Hauck, which will see the Rebels show more balance instead of the pass-happy shotgun spread. Hauck wants to name a starter soon, and expected to duke it out atop the depth chart are close friends Clayton and junior Mike Clausen. Also, redshirt freshman Caleb Herring — the quarterback of the future — will get a look as the staff tries to see who is best equipped to handle the workload right from go.

— The defense. It was no secret that the Rebels' porous showings on that side of the ball made up much of the margin that kept them from 6-win bowl eligibility in 2008 and 2009. Out of 120 FBS squads, UNLV had a defense that ranked 115th, allowing 456.2 yards per game. Adding insult to defeat were forgettable whippings against the likes of UNR, Air Force and TCU. Veteran playmakers such as linebackers Ronnie Paulo and Starr Fuimaono surely will enjoy playing a more attack-oriented style under the new regime, but developing depth will be the top priority in camp.

— The young guns. A key to developing depth will be the emergence of some fresh faces. Several of those guys expected to emerge, oddly enough, are holdover recruits from the Mike Sanford era, such as defensive tackle Nate Holloway, receiver Marcus Sullivan, receiver Mark Barefield, tailback Bradley Randle and defensive back Courtney Bridget.

The Rebels will practice each morning from Saturday to Tuesday at 8 a.m., and all sessions are open to the public. The team then takes off for its annual trip north for 10 days (Aug. 11-21) to Ely, then will resume on-campus practices on Monday, Aug. 23.

For continued, daily coverage of UNLV's 2010 training camp, stay tuned to lasvegassun.com/rebels.