Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Armani Rogers returns to practice for UNLV football

2018 Rebels Spring Showcase

Steve Marcus

Quarterback Armani Rogers is shown on the sidelines during the UNLV Rebels Spring Showcase at UNLV Saturday, April 14, 2018.

The Rebel Room

Rebels in ruin

Mike Grimala and Case Keefer go over the fallout of yet another Rebels' rout after previously winless San Jose State put up 50 points to give UNLV a fifth straight loss.

After four extremely long weeks, the UNLV football team got some good news as quarterback Armani Rogers returned to practice on Monday.

Head coach Tony Sanchez said Rogers participated in the helmets-only session and could be ready to return to game action soon.

Rogers suffered a toe injury in the Rebels’ loss at Arkansas State in Week 4, and UNLV has lost all four games with backup Max Gilliam at the helm. Rogers was on the field at San Jose State during pregame warmups, playing catch with the rest of the Rebels’ quarterbacks.

Sanchez confirmed during his Monday afternoon press conference that Rogers is no longer wearing a walking boot.

“Armani practiced today,” Sanchez said. “He was out there in a helmet, he did exchanges, he threw the ball. That’s the most we’ve seen him move out of the boot. We’ll see.”

Rogers was enjoying a tremendously productive season as a runner before the injury. In the first four games of the season, the sophomore racked up 488 rushing yards and six touchdowns while gaining 6.9 yards per carry.

Though his passing touch lagged behind (41.5 percent, 369 yards, six touchdowns, four interceptions), the Rebels offense could badly use Rogers’ production.

The initial timetable for Rogers’ injury placed his return sometime around UNLV’s Week 11 matchup against Hawaii, but Sanchez seemed to leave the door open for Rogers to be cleared earlier than anticipated.

“We’re not going to rush him,” Sanchez said. “We’re going to make sure everything is good and stable. But it’s the first time he’s had his helmet on and been at practice, so I’d assume based on what goes on with the doctors later on this week he may be available at some point.”

Sanchez responds to AD's comments

In the aftermath of UNLV’s demoralizing loss at San Jose State, athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said the football program would be reviewed “from top to bottom” in the offseason. On Monday, Sanchez seemed to take those comments in stride and stressed that it’s just part of the job as head football coach.

“I guess it’s how you look into it,” he said. “After a game, someone asks her, what is she going to say? She’s standing right there next to me … I don’t think she could be any more supportive. But she has a job to do. And it’s a tough job to reflect and look at the entire program and how it’s doing. Just like I have a tough job to do every single day.”

Sanchez, who has three years remaining on a contract extension that was signed months before Reed-Francois was hired as AD, said he expects to receive scrutiny from the administration.

“I respect Desiree,” he said. “She does a really good job. And one thing about her is she is very consistent. I think if you asked her that question before Game 1, she would have said, ‘Yeah, at the end of the year we’re going to go ahead and address it and see where we’re at.’ I think that’s going to be a constant every year.”

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

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