Steve Carp: Jon Denton’s mentor on the move too

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

AS FOUR OF HIS UNLV colleagues were packing up and moving out, Charlie Stubbs was on the move as well. But instead of looking for work, he was looking for players so he won't have to look for work a year from now.

This is the time of the year that makes coaching a less-than-desirable profession. It's the holidays and it's hard to imagine a festive atmosphere in the dozens of households across America where football coaches and their assistants have recently become unemployed. And if you've been following the news lately, there have been a lot of offices being vacated.

And while Jeff Horton has to find four people to fill the vacancies left by the departure of Stan Eggen, Greg Lees, James Spurlock and Joe Saunders, he is fortunate to not have to find an offensive coordinator. For in a season that was rough to say the least at 1-11, Horton found a diamond in Stubbs.

"We were fortunate to get him," Horton said. "I hope we can keep him."

So does Jon Denton. The record-setting redshirt freshman from Green Valley wouldn't have had the magical season he enjoyed without Stubbs' guidance, patience and positive reinforcement. The two have clicked and maybe the notion of Denton one day playing on Sunday isn't so far-fetched as long as he and Stubbs remain a team.

And if you believe Stubbs, that will apparently be the case. He made Erik Wilhelm a pro quarterback when he was at Oregon State and he wants to do the same with Denton.

"I don't want to bounce around," Stubbs said while packing to hit the recruiting trail. "We're in a situation where we're trying to build something and I want to see it through.

"The thing I feel most positive about was I saw Jon getting better. He was making better decisions, he was being smarter, protecting himself and doing the things a big-time quarterback is supposed to do."

The UNLV offense got better each week to the point where the Rebels had a shot in every game because of Stubbs' game plan. He kept adding to the mix and giving Denton more freedom as he got more comfortable with the scheme.

By season's end, UNLV was putting up big numbers offensively despite an anemic running game which never got untracked the way Stubbs and Horton hoped it would.

And while the offense is of WAC caliber, Stubbs said there's still some pieces missing to the puzzle. UNLV needs a big fullback to take the heat off Denton. It needs a speed receiver who can stretch a defense and let the four incumbent wideouts work underneath. The line can use a little more muscle and there's a need for a big tight end who can block and catch passes with equal proficiency.

"I learned what we're capable of doing," Stubbs said of his offense. "I think the kids got more comfortable with me and I got to know them better as we went along.

"Now, we've got to fill in the rest of the picture. And we will. I feel good about the direction we're heading and I know we're eventually going to get it done."