UNLV Football begins first authentic preseason camp

Tim Graham

Friday, Aug. 15, 1997 | 11:30 a.m.

MESQUITE -- He saw what he reaped.

And he was pleased.

As UNLV football coach Jeff Horton patrolled the two practice fields at Virgin Valley High Thursday morning, his excitement was evident. It was the first day of full practice, and the fourth-year Rebel boss was full of optimism for the upcoming season.

In between heavy breaths and gulps of water, his players showed it, too.

Although the Rebels went 1-11 last year, 14 starters return and a few newcomers are expected to make an impact. As the 10-day camp opened in Mesquite, Horton finally got a chance to see what he has to work with for 1997.

"They were 20 minutes early to the buses this morning," Horton said, a tone of disbelief in his voice. "We'll see if it's like that after two weeks."

The reasoning behind the move to Mesquite, about 80 miles north of Las Vegas on Interstate 15, is to create cohesiveness among the players. They will be limited to Si Redd's Oasis, the Rebels' host hotel, and will spend every waking -- and even unwaking -- moment together.

"I hope to get team chemistry, get a tight team. That's the ultimate goal," said quarterback Jon Denton, a Green Valley High grad who broke several NCAA freshmen passing records last year. "We don't all need to become best friends, but when it comes to gametime, we need to go to battle together."

If the camp were being held at UNLV as usual, Denton likely would be watching television in his living room after practice. But he doesn't mind being without the comforts of home for the sake of the team.

"It's not that bad," he said. "Coming up here, it's a chance to get away. This is business time, when I have to remain focused. Even if I was at home, I know I can't go out and mess around all night."

Thursday, like most days to follow, started at 7 a.m. with breakfast and taping. The buses left the hotel at 8:45 a.m. and the team took to the fields at 9:30 a.m. The players went through various workouts, drills and conditioning for three hours with water breaks mixed in.

Taking the afternoon off to avoid the searing heat, the Rebels returned to Virgin Valley at 5:05 p.m. This practice focused on special teams, passing and blitzes. Conditioning closed the session at 6:35 p.m.

Much to the players' relief, dinner and meetings followed in the air-conditioned comfort of the hotel until 10:15 p.m.

"We're conscious of the heat," Horton said. "In the old days, when we played, you got one water break. They turned the hose on and let you get a drink. Do that nowadays and you'll be in court."

Right now, it seems it will take more than 28 practices in the grueling Mesquite heat to weaken the spirits of this Rebel team, which is about to enter its second season in the Western Athletic Conference.

In fact, some Rebels won't be satisfied with merely improving their record by a few victories.

"We're real excited," sophomore wide receiver Len Ware said. "Everyone thinks this year is our year. We can finish fourth in the WAC and go to a bowl game."

Ware added that such talk is not preached by the coaching staff. His opinions stem from his teammates' feedback.

"We want to go to a bowl game," Denton said. "That's the goal of every team. We're no different.

"Everyone is zero and zero right now. When we start Sept. 6 (at Nevada-Reno), our goal is to go to a bowl game. We want to prove to everybody we're not a slack team. We weren't as bad as people think."

As far as Denton is concerned, the difference this year isn't experience as much as it is confidence.

"We're confident enough to know we have the ability," he said. "If we work hard enough, a bowl game is well within reach.

"We have less doubters on this team than last year. We would get together before games and get pumped up, yell 'Rah! Rah!' and stuff like that. But there was something about the whole situation that made me feel we were not ready yet."