Receiver James likely to redshirt

Tim Graham

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 1997 | 8:56 a.m.

Training camp went smoothly. Maybe too smoothly.

The UNLV football squad spent 10 days training in Mesquite with little worry. The players were happy and healthy. No one left the program. The worst misfortune occurred when receiver Duane James re-aggravated an old high school injury.

The Rebels came home Saturday and took Sunday off.

They were rested and ready when they returned to the field Monday. It was time to get into the flow of classes in the morning and practice in the afternoon. The season opener at Nevada-Reno was 13 days away.

Then as the Rebels were suiting up for their first team practice on campus, James hobbled down the Lied Athletic Complex walkway. Head coach Jeff Horton didn't like what he saw.

A red cast enveloped James' right foot and leg up to his knee. It was pretty clear he would soon have a shirt to match.

"He'll be out six weeks so it doesn't look good," Horton said after talking with trainer Kyle Wilson. "Unless there's an emergency or a miraculous recovery, he will redshirt."

X-rays showed an old stress fracture had widened. According to Wilson, James must wear the cast three weeks then put on a splint for three more.

"He probably would have played a big role as a kick returner for us," Horton said. "That's where it would have hurt the most."

Also spending extra time in the trainer's room Monday was running back Rodrick Johnson. The heralded junior-college transfer is dealing with a lower back strain. He is taking anti-inflammatory medicine but practiced.

"He lifted a lot of weights right up until training camp," Wilson said. "Some of these guys build up their muscles and lose a little flexibility. We're working on improving his range of motion."

Horton also announced true freshman cornerback Larry Conway of Clark High is academically ineligible for this year and will redshirt, and two players -- redshirt freshman linebacker Matt Ward and walk-on freshman running back Tom Fisco -- quit.

Ward, listed as a third-stringer, wanted to play at a small college closer to his Southern California home.

Ward and Fisco are only the second and third players of the summer to quit. Backup tackle Mike Williams left the team in July.

Extra points

* PRO LIFE: One day after his release from the Baltimore Ravens, former UNLV offensive lineman Dennis Whitmore was seen on campus Monday signing up for classes. Whitmore, the only member of last year's Rebel team to sign an NFL contract, was an undrafted free agent. ... Two ex-Rebel lineman are slated to start this weekend when the NFL regular season begins. Jerry Reynolds was named the New York Giants' starting center Monday, while Lonnie Palelei gets the nod as the New York Jets' left guard. ... The Pittsburgh Steelers placed wide receiver Henry Bailey on the injured reserve list Monday, making him ineligible to play in 1997. Bailey is the Rebels' all-time leader in all-purpose yardage (4,889) and receiving (156 catches for 2,515 yards). He sprained his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' final preseason game.

* BARBARISM 101: The stereotype still stands with most men: Women don't know football. But UNLV head coach Jeff Horton wants to help. The fourth-annual "Horton has Class" event -- a free seminar for ladies on the world of football -- takes place Wednesday night in the Lied Athletic Complex's Barron Hilton Auditorium. Cocktails are served at 6 p.m. with class starting at 6:30 p.m. Horton and his assistant caches will instruct the crash course, while players will demonstrate techniques and model equipment. For more information, call 895-3454.

* REEKING RANKINGS: Of the NCAA's 112 Division I-A football programs, UNLV ranks 93rd, according to Sports Illustrated's Aug. 25 college preview issue. That placement is just a shade worse than the one given by The Sporting News, which rates UNLV 88th. But which teams on the Rebels' schedule are considered lower? San Jose State at 111 (SI) and 109 (TSN), Hawaii at 97 and 91 and Texas Christian is 91 and 94. Homecoming opponent Illinois State is a Division I-AA program and not rated by either publication. ... In the Scripps Howard computer power rankings, which include all 229 I-A and I-AA schools, UNLV is 117th. Hawaii is 148th, SJSU 149th and Illinois State 164th.