Kendal Keys, Mike Hughes return to UNLV football practice

Thursday’s UNLV football practice report from Rebel Park:

Tony’s take

Coach Tony Sanchez, on preparations for the Sept. 2 season opener against Howard at Sam Boyd Stadium:

“Today was a a little shorter, 105 minutes, so it was one of the shorter ones that we’ve had. We had beautiful weather out here and had nice rain, so it kind of cooled it down. It was a good day. We did some good things. Again, we shortened things up. We wanted to be fast, and we got what we wanted out of them. Tomorrow, we have a mock game, so it’s more of a mental day than a physical day, and a full Saturday off. They should be nice and fresh when they come back on Sunday.”

Notes

— Junior wide receiver Kendal Keys (sprained right knee) and senior defensive tackle Mike Hughes Jr. (tight left hamstring) were eased back into practice. Sanchez said Hughes should play in the opener, but was less certain about Keys.

“Maybe we get Kendal back a little quicker than we thought,” Sanchez said. “If not, I’m sure he’ll be ready Week 2.”

— Redshirt freshman quarterback Armani Rogers said he was pleased with his progress as his first start approaches.

“I’m able to pick up defenses way faster than from when I first started,” Rogers said. “It’s one of those things you’re developing more when you get on the field, so everything slows down.”

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