FIRST WEEK OF PRACTICE DONE
UNLV wrapped up the first week of football practice with its first practice in full pads Friday morning.
The session also marked the end of on-campus practices for now. The team will travel north to Ely for 10 days as they prepare for the season.
Coach Mike Sanford was satisfied with the first week of camp.
"I really liked our attitude and work ethic," he said. "It's something to build on."
Several players mentioned the camaraderie that can be developed when they get away from their friends, girlfriends and video games as an important benefit of the time up north.
They can focus on football for almost two weeks. When they return, school will be getting ready to start, and the first game will be near, so this is the time that they will get in the majority of their work.
PAYNE STANDS OUT
Throughout the practice, as he has much of the week in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 situations, wide receiver Phillip Payne stood out.
Payne has made many outstanding plays, but, like most freshmen, he also has committed his share of mistakes.
"He's a guy who's very noticeable out there," Sanford said. "He's got a lot of work to do. He's made some great plays, but he's also made some freshman mistakes."
That dichotomy was evident in a span of five minutes Friday. Payne made the catch of the week in a 7-on-7 session as he leaped high in the air and made a one-handed catch as he went to the ground with a lot of contact in the corner of the end zone. It probably would have been out of bounds in a real game, but the catch still was remarkable.
Minutes later, in 11-on-11s, Payne burned a cornerback and dropped a perfectly thrown Omar Clayton pass in the end zone.
The freshman from Western High School probably will make an impact on offense this season.
SIDELINE VIEW
On Friday, the team still didn't do much hitting or tackling. They did do much more 11-on-11 than they have in recent days, however.
In the first session, Casey Flair made a rolling catch on the sideline, and Channing Trotter had a run of about six yards before a little trouble started. Clayton saw a snap sail well over his head, and on the next play, he completed a pass to Gerold Rodriguez only to see the ball fumbled over the middle.
Mike Clausen came in and threw behind Tate Knutson, who made a nice catch for a short gain. Dack Ishii found C.J. Cox open in the backfield for a big gain down the right sideline.
Clayton then returned and scrambled for a big gain, then had a great throw between three defenders down the field to Flair. Clayton followed up his best throw of the day with perhaps his worst as he threw a wobbly pass to the right to nobody in particular.
Clausen returned to complete a pass to Michael Johnson, then was sacked by David Biggs. Ishii finished the session with a poor throw downfield.
Later in practice, UNLV went full speed in an 11-on-11, though it did not tackle.
Clayton started this session by handing to Frank Summers on the left side for a big gain. Clayton threw a nice pass on the next play to Rodelin Anthony that fell incomplete in the end zone, but Ryan Tillman would have been called for interference. Then came the play that Payne dropped.
Clausen came in and found Justin Marvel deep down the middle for a touchdown. Freshman Imari Thompson, competing for the backup tailback spot, found plenty of running room down the left sideline on the next play.
Ishii came in and saw several players false start on the first play, then rolled right to find Payne open.
Clayton came back in and found Flair deep behind the defense, but he underthrew him and allowed the defense to get back in the play. Wiselet Rouzard knocked the ball away and nearly came up with an acrobatic pick in the back of the end zone. Trotter ran left for a small gain, then Malo Taumua penetrated the line for what probably would have been a sack.
Clausen then came back in and threw to Ryan Wolfe, who made a nice shoestring catch in the right flat and ran down the sideline. Then, Clausen and Payne appeared to have a miscommunication, as the throw went deep and the freshman broke off his route.
Ishii finished the session by handing to Cox. The freshman, also competing for the No. 2 tailback position, was stuffed by Nate Carter, a freshman from Las Vegas High School.
HARRINGTON ON CRUTCHES
Freshman Austin Harrington was walking around on crutches and in a walking boot at practice Friday. He suffered a lower leg injury a few days ago but was expected to be back soon.
UP NEXT
The team will leave for Ely on Saturday. They will have a walk-through Saturday evening before practicing for the first time at their home away from home at 4 p.m. Sunday. The Rebels return Aug. 20 and will have their next on-campus practice at 6:40 p.m.
