Marc Philippi’s foot surgery exemplifies toughness of UNLV fullback
BOISE, Idaho — When it comes to playing through injuries, UNLV wide receiver Devonte Boyd has a kindred spirit in Rebels fullback Marc Philippi.
More than five years before Boyd played with a broken arm in UNLV’s 69-66 triple-overtime win over Wyoming last Saturday, Philippi underwent a temporary surgical procedure so he could play with a broken foot in a game for Bishop Gorman High School.
Philippi broke his foot in the second game of the 2011 season and was still sidelined a month later as a game approached between the then-11th-ranked Gaels and No. 23 Servite of Anaheim, California.
“It looks like he’ll be out for a long time unless he has a very rare surgery that takes a screw and pulls the foot together,” said Rebels coach Tony Sanchez, then Gorman’s coach. “It’s something they do maybe in the NFL if you need to get back in a week or two. He has the surgery that pulls that foot together and holds it in place so he can play in the Servite game. Then, when the Servite game ended, he was out another four or five weeks.”
Sanchez said he used to show a picture of Philippi’s foot to his teams at Gorman and has continued to do so at UNLV as a prime example of toughness.
“You talk about the ultimate toughness to get in there and play,” Sanchez said.
Philippi, a senior, said he doesn’t regret having the surgery, which allowed him to play in the Gaels’ 31-28 victory over Servite in Las Vegas.
“Looking back at it, doing it for a high school game, people think it’s crazy. But at the time, it meant a lot to me. I’m glad I did it,” he said. “Going back to the Boyd injury, it’s one of those things where you feel you’ve got an edge on people because you feel you can handle a hard situation and make the most of it and show people your pain tolerance and toughness.”
VALOAGA DISMISSED
UNLV will honor its seniors before the Nov. 26 season finale against UNR at Sam Boyd Stadium, but Jeremiah Valoaga won’t be among them. The senior defensive end was dismissed from the team this week for an undisclosed violation of athletic department rules.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 250-pound Valoaga started the first 10 games and led the Rebels in sacks with four. UNLV, which finished last in the nation in sacks last season with nine, entered Friday’s game at Boise State tied for 91st with 17.
POKING FUN AT PANTELS
Rebels kicker/punter Evan Pantels left UNLV’s win over Wyoming with what Sanchez called a full body cramp, and backup Nicolai Bornand kicked a game-winning 40-yard field goal.
Sanchez joked about Pantels’ recovery before the sophomore started against Boise State.
“I think he drank a glass of water. He’s OK now,” said Sanchez, chuckling.
YOU’RE MY BOY, BLUE
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Boise State’s signature blue turf at Albertsons Stadium. The Broncos installed the first nongreen field for the 1986 season and have a 171-36 record (.826) on The Blue, as the surface is called in Boise.
GOING STREAKING
In an annual tradition typically done before the coldest game of the year, Boise State’s players warmed up on the field before the game without their shirts. The temperature was a relatively mild 48 degrees.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
