UNLV center J’Ondray Sanders ready for first start this season

J’Ondray Sanders worked at first-team center early in UNLV’s football training camp before giving way to Zack Singer, who started the first three games.

Now it looks as if Sanders will replace Singer in the lineup when the Rebels play San Jose State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. Singer is doubtful after injuring an ankle in Saturday’s 54-21 loss at Ohio State.

“I think mentally I’m ready,” Sanders said. “I know all the calls. I know what I’m doing, so I’m ready for the game.”

Sanders (6 feet 5 inches, 290 pounds), a senior out of Basic High School, would be making his first start since 2015 when he started 10 games at right tackle.

Now he could get his chance again with the Rebels (1-2, 0-0 Mountain West) needing a victory over San Jose State (1-4, 0-1) to make a legitimate run at a bowl appearance. UNLV is a 13-point favorite.

“It’d be huge to start off conference play 1-0 against a team like San Jose,” Sanders said. “That would be great for us leading us up to complete all our goals that we want this season.”

Going streaking

San Jose State has beaten the Rebels each of the past four seasons, but the past two were by six points each. Going back to when the teams were in the Western Athletic Conference in the 1990s, the Spartans’ series winning streak is seven games.

They are coming off a 61-10 loss to Utah State, but Rebels coach Tony Sanchez said using the streak as motivation could help the Spartans this week.

“I think if I’m in their position, I’m looking at this and saying, ‘This is a team we’ve beaten in the past, we’ve had success against. This is a winnable game. Everyone dial in,’” Sanchez said. “That’s what I would be saying, so we’ve really got to make sure that we’re ready for that shot, especially early on.”

San Jose State first-year coach Brent Brennan said he doesn’t put much stock into the streak.

“I think for us, it’s just really the next opportunity to play,” Brennan said. “I don’t think we think about the past too much because, obviously, our team was different then, and UNLV’s team was different then. I think for us more than anything, we’re anxious to get past last week and have another chance to play and have another chance for our team to practice, to improve, and to hopefully play good enough football on Saturday night.”

They meet again

Brennan recruited UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers when he was the wide receivers coach at Oregon State.

“I was really, really impressed with his ability to spin (the ball),” Brennan said. “I thought he had really great velocity on that ball. I saw him throw multiple times. Great kid, and it’s neat to see him developing into a good player.”

Rogers said he doesn’t remember much about the recruiting experience.

“I talked to a lot of coaches throughout the process,” he said. “You build strong relationships with certain coaches, and that’s what I built with Coach Sanchez throughout the whole recruiting process.”

Palandech up for academic honor

UNLV senior backup quarterback Kurt Palandech was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top scholar-athlete. He received his bachelor’s degree in business in the spring with a 3.76 GPA and is pursuing an MBA.

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