UNLV football start depends on ends

From Colin Kaepernick at UNR to Tim Jefferson at Air Force, UNLV has faced its share of athletic quarterbacks who toyed with the Rebels and their defensive ends.

Now the Rebels will open their football season against another athletic quarterback when senior MarQueis Gray and his Minnesota teammates visit Sam Boyd Stadium at 8 p.m. Thursday.

This time, however, maybe the Rebels have the defensive ends to prevent Gray from doing what Kaepernick and Jefferson did against them.

Junior college transfer Parker Holloway and sophomore Jordan Sparkman come off a promising training camp. JC transfer (and former Southern California player) James Boyd and senior Beau Brence also had their moments.

Those four players, however, have zero combined starts at end. Brence did start at fullback in three games in 2010.

"I think we're bigger, faster and more physical at defensive end," coach Bobby Hauck said Monday.

"We've got guys that haven't played much Division I football out there, but they look the part. They've worked hard at it, so they get a chance when the lights go on Thursday against a pretty mobile quarterback to see if they've got it."

Gray (6 feet 4 inches, 250 pounds) would be a challenge even for a defensive front with a proven track record. He passed for 1,495 yards last season and rushed for 966.

"Their offense really centers around him, and you have to find a way to get him corralled," Hauck said. "That's no easy task. There were a lot of people who were not able to do that last year at times. He's big and fast. He's as big as the defensive ends we've got trying to tackle him."

UNLV knows what it's like to struggle against such quarterbacks.

Kaepernick was especially harsh on the Rebels, averaging 170 yards rushing and 169.3 passing in three meetings. Jefferson didn't put up those kinds of numbers, but he ran Air Force's triple option to near perfection in averaging 76.8 yards rushing and 131.8 passing over four meetings.

Those quarterbacks combined to go 7-0 against the Rebels.

Stopping QBs who could run hasn't been UNLV's only problem. The Rebels gave up more than 30 points per game in seven of the past eight seasons, showing vulnerability against the run and pass.

UNLV's defense showed noticeable improvement during preseason practices, and often outplayed its offense.

Whether that shows up against the Golden Gophers is another matter, but junior cornerback Sidney Hodge, who went to Palo Verde High School, is ready to start making the argument.

"We've got to go out there and try to knock some heads off," Hodge said. "It's all about getting turnovers and making sure our offense gets the ball as many times as they can."

■ NOTES - Hauck didn't tip his hand on the availability of sophomore wide receiver/kick returner Marcus Sullivan, who played at Cheyenne High. Sullivan sustained an undisclosed injury Aug. 16, and UNLV hasn't released its depth chart. "We're waiting for Minnesota to produce a depth chart, too," Hauck said. ... Senior running back/wide receiver Eric Johnson, who has an injured left hamstring, might not play. ... Sophomore running back Dionza Bradford, who sprained his right ankle Aug. 11, is working his way back into the mix. But running back Bradley Randle is expected to back up fellow junior Tim Cornett.

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