What Coach Sanchez said: Blake Decker will start UNLV’s finale Saturday

UNLV is nearing the finish line, and coach Tony Sanchez touched on several topics at Tuesday's news conference.

He talked about finishing on a strong note in their football season finale, the injury situation and defending Wyoming running back Brian Hill as the Rebels (3-8, 2-5 Mountain West) prepare to visit the Cowboys (1-10, 1-6) at 11 a.m. PST Saturday.

The game will be shown on Root Sports and streamed online at unlvrebels.com.

UNLV quarterback Blake Decker (hip and ankle) will start, but linebacker Tau Lotulelei (arm) is doubtful and defensive end Jeremiah Valoaga (knee) likely out.

Here are the highlights of Sanchez's news conference:

On Wyoming being one of the more winnable games this season:

"People may say that about us. … (Wyoming) played well early. They had a lot of injuries. This is a very winnable football game, but I don't know if we've played one in the last bunch of weeks other than last Saturday (52-14 loss to San Diego State) that wasn't a very winnable football game for us. We have to get out of our own way."

On Hill, who has three 200-yard rushing games:

"They're committed to getting downhill. He's a very durable guy. Like I said, they've had a lot of injuries, but he's not one of them. He's a very tough guy. … He's going to be a tough guy to defend, but we've seen other tough backs."

On Decker's health status:

"He practiced Sunday, practiced today. Not 100 percent, but he will play. You will see both quarterbacks (the other is Kurt Palandech) in the game, but I know we can get some snaps out of (Decker), and I know he's excited to end it on his feet in the game. I think that's important for him and his career here. We plan on starting him."

On the miscommunication with the medical staff regarding Lotulelei, who informed Sanchez 40 minutes before the game against San Diego State he wasn't ready to play:

"That should not happen, and I don't perceive that it will happen again. We have to do a better job of communicating around here. That's part of it, too. Everyone sees the football end of it on Saturdays. … There's not one thing I would say that we haven't improved on, but there are a whole lot of things we need to continue to fight to make better around here. All those things impact Saturdays. I think there's a greater understanding of that now."

On Thanksgiving plans:

"We're celebrating the greatest American tradition — playing football. So we're going to come and have a great, spirited football practice. All the coaches are going to take the kids home, so I've got the wide receivers and the strength staff coming over to my house."

On the discussion at UNLV on whether Hey Reb is a racist mascot:

"He did have a Confederate deal (in the 1970s), which was inappropriate, completely inappropriate. So they addressed it and got rid of it, and they changed the mascot long before this was a huge issue. … But Rebels, when I was growing up, the rebels I knew were Star Wars. They were the guys fighting Darth Vader. … I looked at Hey Reb, and I never thought about it. I thought of him as a mountain man. That's who he was to me. Being from a minority background, I look at that and I say,'Wow, that's neat that UNLV had the foresight a long time before it became an issue to say this is inappropriate. We are going to create change.' And they did that, so it makes you proud to work for this university."

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65