Ex-UNLV QB Caleb Herring lived ‘redemption’ story in 2013

When Caleb Herring walks into Sam Boyd Stadium’s home radio booth on Saturday, he’ll no doubt flash back to Sept. 24, 2011 and a game he’d rather forget.

UNLV entered that game against Southern Utah, Saturday’s opponent, coming off an upset 40-20 victory over Hawaii. Herring, then a sophomore, completed 17 of 29 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

A victory over FCS foe Southern Utah would get the Rebels to .500 before a bye week and trip to UNR, but the Thunderbirds used interception returns of 35, 22 and 74 yards for touchdowns to hand UNLV a stinging 41-16 loss.

Herring was shaken and believed the coaching staff had lost confidence in him. That feeling was validated Oct. 8 at UNR. He threw only 14 passes in the 37-0 loss, and completed just one — an 8-yard pass with 4:17 left.

“It was a one-off performance that Southern Utah game,” said Herring, who is UNLV’s radio analyst. “I felt like I put the worst performance possible out there, and I felt like I paid for it again the second week. Not only did the coaches not trust me, but I didn’t even trust myself to make any passes at that point.”

Moving to wide receiver

UNLV won only once more the rest of the 2011 season, beating Colorado State 38-35 at home. The quarterback position rotated among Herring and two others.

He thought about quitting.

“That’s how devastated I was,” Herring said. “I’m embarrassed to be here. I don’t deserve to put on the pads. I’m embarrassing my family. I’m embarrassing myself.”

But he said he never considered leaving UNLV. “One of the reasons, I guess if I think back, is that if I couldn’t make it at UNLV, where else was I going to make it?” he said. “There are Division I players everywhere.”

During the offseason, he sometimes ran routes during seven-on-seven drills, and word got back to wide receivers coach Cedric Cormier that Herring could be an option at that position.

Herring started four games at wide receiver in 2012, catching 18 passes for 136 yards .

An injury to starting quarterback Nick Sherry got Herring back behind center late in the season. He took over in a mop-up role at Colorado State, but then in a start against Wyoming, Herring completed 22 of 36 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.

The big comeback

UNLV hired Timm Rosenbach as its offensive coordinator after that season, and he lobbied for Herring to be a full-time quarterback even though Sherry was the starter. The Rebels opened the 2013 season losing 51-23 at Minnesota and 58-13 to Arizona.

Sherry remained the starter, and UNLV fell behind 21-0 on Sept. 14 against Central Michigan at home.

Herring saw from the sideline missed opportunities to score, and when given his chance to take the field midway through the second quarter, was convinced he would make up the deficit.

He was right.

UNLV tied its school record for largest comeback by roaring back behind Herring to win 31-21. Herring completed 24 of 28 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. His 85.7 completion percent is still UNLV’s single-game record.

“You know when they say a shooter, a Steph Curry or someone, the basket’s as big as a bathtub,” Herring said. “I was in one of those zones as a quarterback, and it’s a really cool feeling. I saw the whole field like I’ve never seen it before.”

That victory started a four-game winning streak and paved the way for a trip to the Heart of Dallas Bowl. That season, Herring completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,718 yards and 24 touchdowns with just five interceptions.

“I think it would’ve haunted me forever had I not got that chance at redemption and walked away from football and never played again,” Herring said. “I probably would’ve been remembered for one of the low points in UNLV history if not for that last season.”

Herring, 28, now works as a corrections officer for the City of Las Vegas and could soon become a case manager. He and his wife, Ashley, have a 5-year-old son, Isaiah.

Cormier brings Herring back before every season to talk with the receivers.

“I want them to know exactly who he is and what he went through because he easily could’ve hung it up,” Cormier said. “He stayed the course. He believed in himself, and he believed in his teammates. Ultimately at the end, he led us to a bowl game.”

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Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.