QB Dalton Sneed prepares to be UNLV starter for Fresno State game

UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez has quickly reshuffled his quarterback depth chart after learning that starter Johnny Stanton will miss at least three to four weeks because of a knee injury.

Redshirt freshman Dalton Sneed is the new starter, junior returnee Kurt Palandech will have to prove himself off the bench for the second consecutive season, and Armani Rogers has an outside shot at playing as a true freshman.

Palandech was locked in a tight two-man competition with Stanton for the starting job throughout the offseason before shoulder and biceps injuries dropped him to third string behind Sneed. Palandech was elevated to No. 2 behind Stanton before Saturday’s 33-30 overtime loss to Idaho, but Sneed got the starting nod for Saturday’s homecoming game against Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. at Sam Boyd Stadium.

“He’s got a live arm. I think we’ll be fine moving forward with him,” Sanchez said of the 6-foot Sneed, a three-star recruit coming out of Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Sanchez said Palandech will play Saturday.

“Kurt, we’ve got to see that level of comfort come back for him. With that shoulder injury, he’s been a little tentative running the football, and that’s his bread and butter,” Sanchez said. “The last bunch of weeks, he hasn’t done a lot in practice. He’s just barely coming back right now, and quite honestly, Dalton’s looked great at practice.

“If I based it on practice, Dalton’s looked better. As of late. It doesn’t mean Kurt’s not going to come in there and do a great job, and that’s why we’re going to play both of them.”

ARMANI SUITS UP

While the ideal scenario for the Rebels is to redshirt the 6-5 Rogers — who was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN — there’s a chance Sanchez will pull his redshirt and throw him into the fray this season.

“I told Armani, ‘Get yourself ready. There’s three healthy guys on the roster, and you need to prepare like everyone else, prepare like a starter,’” Sanchez said. “I have full confidence that Dalton and Kurt will be able to go out there and play well, Johnny will get back and hopefully we don’t have to do anything.

“However, if there’s another injury and we have to go with Armani, he’s 100 percent excited and ready to go, and we’ll do that. That doesn’t mean he’d be starting every game, but we’re not going to pull (the redshirt) and have him just sit there. He’s a special guy.”

PRESLEY STILL OUT

Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Presley will miss his fourth game in a row with a foot injury suffered in the first game and might end up missing the rest of the season, which would give him a medical redshirt year.

BLACK SATURDAY

UNLV will wear black helmets, pants and jerseys for the first time in school history in Saturday’s game. It also will be the first time the Rebels’ mascot, Hey Reb, will appear on a UNLV football helmet. The school is encouraging fans to wear black as well.

CLIMBING THE RANKS

San Diego State (3-0) ascended to No. 19 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll after a bye week and is No. 24 in the coaches poll. Boise State (3-0) is No. 24 in the AP poll and received 126 votes in the coaches poll. It’s the first time since Nov. 23, 2014, that at least two Mountain West teams are ranked nationally.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow on Twitter: @tdewey33