Lotulelei energizes UNLV defense

When UNLV senior linebacker John Lotulelei throws his body into a play and his long mane flows from underneath the back of his helmet, the image is like that of another Polynesian known for his hair-raising style.

True, comparing any player to the whirling dervish that is Troy Polamalu is difficult - the Pittsburgh Steelers safety is unlike any other football player. But Lotulelei brings his own style and energy to a Rebels defense that has lacked such an identity for so long.

Lotulelei has substance to go with that style. He leads the Mountain West Conference with 96 tackles entering Saturday's 4 p.m. PST game at Colorado State. That places him on the verge of becoming UNLV's first to 100 tackles since Jason Beauchamp made 127 in 2008.

"I never thought I would be able to get this many tackles in one year," Lotulelei said. "Throughout my whole football career, I never had over 100 tackles in a single season, so I'm surprised that I've got this many tackles, and (I'm) excited about it."

He was overlooked by major colleges while at Merced (Calif.) College, but UNLV coaches knew about Lotulelei and kept a close eye on him last year after he didn't sign with another school.

The Rebels brought in Lotulelei, and he made 60 tackles last season and started four of the final five games.

Now, Lotulelei has taken his game up several notches.

"He takes great notes in meetings," defensive coordinator J.D. Williams said. "He's a smart football player. He's got a lot of talent also, but he's a worker. The guy's a workaholic. He wants to be good, and he works to be good. That's the key right there."

NFL scouts have noticed, and Lotulelei (6 feet, 235 pounds) could be UNLV's top prospect for April's draft.

"Those (NFL) guys keep their cards pretty close to the vest, but there are a lot of people in double- and triple-checking him, which is usually a good sign," coach Bobby Hauck said. "I think he can play. He's improved dramatically since he got here, and he's had a great year.

"He plays really hard. What (NFL scouts) love is how well he tackles and how hard he plays."

■ RECORDS TO FALL - UNLV all-time leading receiver Ryan Wolfe also owns the Mountain West's freshman record for reception yards.

For now.

Wolfe had 911 yards in 2006, but Fresno State's Davante Adams is only four yards behind and figures to smash that mark.

The good news for the Rebels is Nick Sherry continues to move up the league's freshman passing chart. He is sixth with 2,290 yards, only 373 from breaking the record of 2,662 set by Colorado State's Pete Thomas in 2010.

Sherry isn't just playing well for a freshman. He already has the most passing yards in a season for a UNLV quarterback since Jon Denton put up 2,586 in 1997.

■ BEATEN UP - Freshman strong safety David Greene could receive his first start this weekend, but Hauck said no decision has been made.

Greene, a Rivals.com three-star recruit from Dallas' Skyline High School, has played in every game.

"If we're playing a true freshman at whatever position, it's because we've got depth problems," Hauck said.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.