Return of Rebel wide receiver Payne from injury uncertain
UNLV senior wide receiver Phillip Payne could return from an injured right foot as early as next week, but coach Bobby Hauck also is preparing for the possibility his top offensive player will miss at least one game.
The Rebels open Sept. 1 at Wisconsin.
"Any time you’ve got a bone injury in a foot, even doctors have a hard time telling you how long it will be," Hauck said. "I’ve seen guys come back from those fast, and I’ve seen guys take a long time. So the honest answer is we don’t know."
Payne watched practice this morning, which opened UNLV’s football training camp, while wearing a walking boot.
"It’s frustrating because I want to play," Payne said. "But I get a good feeling being able to help out the young bucks, so somehow I’m going to get into it."
He caught 40 passes for 689 yards and five touchdowns last season.
MISSING IN ACTION
Highly touted junior college defensive lineman Louvan Green and freshman running back Elijhaa Penny probably will be academically ineligible. Hauck said he could know as soon as Wednesday about both players.
Losing Green, who chose the Rebels over Oregon State, Iowa State and Baylor, would be especially damaging for this season.
"We’re not deep on the defensive line," Hauck said. "We need some help up front on defense. We’ll react to our situation, whatever it is, and if we don’t have him, somebody else has got to step up. It’s kind of like if a guy got hurt."
Another junior-college transfer, offensive lineman Allen Carroll, did not practice this morning because he is still trying to get medically cleared. Hauck didn’t specify Carroll’s medical situation.
"You can see what’s happened around the country with kids in camp," Hauck said of the heat wave that has hit large sections of the country. "Any time we give guys physicals, we try to be as thorough as we can to make sure we don’t have some kind of tragic incident."
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Taylor Spencer (broken leg) and sophomore defensive back John Therrell (shoulder surgery) did not practice, but Hauck said neither is expected to be out long. Safety Chris Jones has left the team, but will remain in school and assist the team.
LATE PICK-UPS
Defensive back Peni Vea (6 feet, 174 pounds) signed with Utah State in February, but couldn’t get in for academic reasons. Vea, who was recruited by UNLV, walked on to the Rebels and will receive a scholarship that will count toward next year’s class.
"We were able to accept some things that he couldn’t get in elsewhere," Hauck said. "Certainly, he’s a guy we really wanted in recruiting. I guess we won that recruiting battle late."
UNLV also picked up senior defensive back Daniel Harper (5-10, 180), who transferred from Southern California. Because he left a school on probation, Harper can play without sitting out a season. He made eight tackles last season.
TIME SET
The Sept. 10 game at Washington State is at 2 p.m., and is not expected to be televised.