Coach looking for “the best 11 players”
UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck and defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson said they are simply interested in getting "the best 11 players" on defense, and they are working to do just that with several switches.
Senior Mike Grant switched from cornerback to safety, junior Chris Jones from safety to linebacker and senior Calvin Randleman from defensive back to linebacker. Also, sophomore David Blair moved from linebacker to fullback.
No move is considered necessarily permanent, but they are signs the new coaching staff is willing to experiment, and that players should not be consider being comfortable in their spots.
MORE D
UNLV's offense had the upper hand in the first week of practices, but the defense has been improving since. And on Monday, the defense made several big plays.
Senior defensive end Daniel Mareko recorded two sacks, and senior end Preston Brooks had one. Interceptions were made by junior cornerback Will Chandler, junior linebacker Beau Orth, senior safety Alex De Giacomo and senior safety Travis Dixon.
“We made some plays on the ball today on defense, which was encouraging," Hauck said.
INJURY REPORT
Senior cornerback Quinton Pointer didn’t practice because of a broken finger. Redshirt freshman safety Courtney Bridget re-injured his ankle. Junior linebacker Matt Kravetz was at Rebel Park on crutches after undergoing knee surgery.
