Tight end makes move to defense

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2001 | 9:45 a.m.

UNLV loses four of its top five defensive ends, including all-Mountain West Conference first-teamer Anton Palepoi, to graduation after this season. So landing some top-notch replacements will obviously be a recruiting priority this winter.

To that end, the Rebels appeared to have picked up a potential starter at that position last week. And they didn't have to go far to land him.

Like right across the line of scrimmage.

Backup tight end Trevan Sorensen, who starred as a defensive end at Colton (Calif.) High School, switched over to defense and appears to have found a home.

Sorensen had two tackles and nearly had a couple of quarterback sacks in UNLV's 47-26 victory at Wyoming on Saturday. Not bad considering the 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior had spent only a couple of days practicing at defensive end as an emergency backup to Palepoi.

And when Palepoi reinjured his right knee early in the second quarter, Sorensen found himself rotating with senior Steve Newton at the left defensive end position.

"It felt good," said Sorensen, who took a two-year LDS Church mission after his freshman season in 1997. "It's the first time in about six years I've played defense in a game. I think it will give me a shot to play a lot more next year."

A hard-nosed blocker, Sorensen has made a remarkably smooth transition to defensive line.

"I kind of played offense with a defensive mentality anyway," he said. "I like to hit. It's fun."

UNLV defensive line coach Craig Wederquist is predicting big things for Sorensen at defensive end.

"He's going to be a tremendous impact player for us down the road," Wederquist said. "He has such a great motor and he's so coachable. He's a very sharp kid, too. He comes off the ball and does whatever you ask him to do. I'm just very thankful to have him now."

The move of Sorensen to defensive end means the Rebels will have three returnees at the position in the spring: starting right defensive end Ahmad Briggs, redshirt freshman Leon Moore of Rancho High and Sorensen.

"I've got three (more) games and one year (to coach Sorensen)," Wederquist said. "I'm going to line him up a bunch and get him in there. He had some chances (for a sack) and didn't get them, but that's just (lack of) experience. We see some good things from Trevan in the future."

Haro became the first Rebel since Shannon Wilson in 1995 against Arkansas State to reach the 200-yard rushing mark in a game. His effort was the most yards by a Rebel running back since Ickey Woods ran for 265 on 37 carries at Pacific in 1987.

"The steady progress Joe has made since the Arkansas game until now has just been phenomenal," said UNLV coach John Robinson.

Haro said he bought doughnuts for his offensive linemen last week to thank them for their blocking.

"You would have thought I had given them Rolexes," he said. "I don't know. Maybe next week I'll have to give them Rolexes now."

"Watching films (on Sunday) was like watching the George Gordon highlight tape," Haro said. "He played just an awesome game for us."

"They have contacted us," UNLV senior associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie said. "They need a game and we need a game. Obviously, we'd like to have a home game but it is getting late."

If the Rebels can work out a deal to play the Bears, it would mean UNLV would play two Pac-10 Conference teams next year. UNLV plays at Oregon State and has home games against Wisconsin, Kansas and Nevada-Reno.

Terry Cottle, UNLV's associate athletic director in charge of sports marketing, said he expects a crowd of about 22,000.