UNLV junior Whitely leads three-player attack at running back

Considering what freshmen Xzaviar Campbell and Lexington Thomas did in training camp to give life to UNLV's run game, it would be easy to forget they aren't the starters.

That job belongs to someone quite familiar to Rebels football fans.

As UNLV prepares for its Sept. 5 season opener at Northern Illinois, Keith Whitely is the one taking first-team snaps in practice.

"We're a running back by committee, but I'm leading this thing," Whitely said. "I'm going to go ahead and be the leader. I'm a junior and, shoot, they're going to follow suit."

It will be a shared venture, however.

The plan will vary week to week on how many carries get divvied up among Whitely and the freshmen.

"It's the feel of the game and who's hot and who's not and kind of play it by ear as we go," running backs coach Jamie Christian said.

Whitely knows something about sharing the ball. He started four games last season, finishing second on the team with 504 yards. Shaquille Murray-Lawrence led the Rebels with 552 yards.

Those weren't the kind of numbers produced when all-time leading rusher Tim Cornett took handoffs. The Rebels' rushing average dropped from 172.5 yards per game in Cornett's final season in 2013 to 129.2 last year, worst in the Mountain West.

And now Murray-Lawrence is gone as well, having headed to the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League.

First-year coach Tony Sanchez and his staff brought in the two freshmen from Houston to make an immediate impact, and the players have shown they are capable of doing just that.

It's an all-Houston trip. Whitely also is from there, following in the recent tradition begun by his former backfield mate, Cornett.

"We have our own little lingo," Whitely said. "I remember coming in and I really didn't have anybody except for Tim. Two other Houston guys are with me, so we're joking around, but we get serious at the same time."

Campbell and Thomas were brought in to play right away, and much was expected of Whitely (5 feet 9 inches, 195 pounds) when he signed with UNLV in 2013. He was rated by Scout.com as a three-star prospect and the nation's No. 87 running back.

"Obviously, we didn't recruit Whitely, but we would've recruited him," Sanchez said. "He's that type of a guy."

UNLV didn't redshirt Whitely his first season, playing him in all 13 games, asking him mostly to return kickoffs and punts. Then last season, he shifted most of his focus to playing out of the backfield and averaged 4.3 yards per carry.

It wasn't a completely smooth season, though. He went from starting four games in a row during the meat of the season to being replaced in the lineup by Murray-Lawrence in the final five weeks.

The spring was Whitely's opportunity to return to the starting lineup, but he wasn't guaranteed of staying there when camp rolled around. So he made sure he stayed in front of the competition.

"A huge leap from spring to where we're at right now," Sanchez said after Tuesday morning's practice at Rebel Park. "There's no doubt about it. He's a whole different guy work-wise, but every day, including today, it's pushing him to finish. But he's definitely matured, and I think he knows he's going to have a real serious role on this team, and we need him to."

Whitely is the starter for reasons that go beyond being able to carry the ball. Sanchez called Whitely the most consistent back at pass protection, and Christian said Whitely could do everything asked.

"Right now, he's probably the most versatile back we've got as far as protection, his pass routes, catching the ball, running the ball," Christian said. "He's got to keep it going, but since I've been here, he's been solid. He knows all the plays. Those young guys are pushing him."

And they will continue to, so Whitely can't let up if he wants to keep the starting job.

But if Whitely can hold off the two freshmen during camp, maybe he can do it over the course of 12 games.

"When I see the young guys going hard, I'm like, 'I wonder where they're getting that from?' " Whitely said. "Maybe me, so every day I want to keep working on my craft so that they see I'm coming to work every day."

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