Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LOOKING IN ON: UNLV FOOTBALL

'Ridiculous infusion of talent' noted

Once you've made the trek to Sam Boyd Stadium and brushed the dust off your shoes from the jaunt through the unpaved parking area, a vastly improved UNLV football team awaits you.

Or does it?

Head coach Mike Sanford, predictably, is full of optimism as his team prepares for tonight's season opener against Idaho State. One national publication predicts an exciting season for Rebels fans as a result of a "ridiculous infusion of talent" that includes a pair of transfers from USC's 2004 national championship team.

Then again, the Rebels were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Mountain West Conference in a preseason poll of the media that follow the league (and found it difficult to overlook UNLV's back-to-back 2-9 seasons).

Here, then, is what fans should be looking for when the Rebels take the field tonight for the first time in 2006:

1. Rocky Hinds (No. 3)

Hinds is ranked the top transfer in the nation this season by College Football News, and Sanford is pinning the future of the program on the 6-foot-5, 200-pound sophomore quarterback who began his collegiate career at USC.

Although Hinds has not played a down of competitive football since the end of his junior season of high school in 2002, Sanford expects him to have a firm grasp of UNLV's complicated spread offense.

"What we're trying to do is have him go into the game knowing everything we're doing inside and out and be able to execute it competently, know where to go with the football (and) make good decisions."

Still, that's putting an awful lot of pressure on a young man who hasn't played in almost four years.

2. Erick Jackson (No. 26)

The versatile running back should be able to relieve some of the pressure on Hinds. Jackson led the Rebels in rushing last season as a junior with 673 yards on 174 carries and caught 36 passes for 370 yards.

One of the few bright spots on offense last season, Jackson's effectiveness was curtailed, in part, because the Rebels got behind early in so many games (they were outscored 88-33 in the first quarter in 2005) and were forced to throw the ball.

3. Aaron Straiten (No. 1)

Another highly touted newcomer, Straiten comes to UNLV to help shore up a receiver corps that is badly in need of a big-time playmaker.

And that is exactly what Sanford calls Straiten, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior wide receiver Sanford compared favorably to Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Conway and Johnnie Morton - receivers he coached at USC who eventually went on to play in the NFL.

Before settling on UNLV, Straiten was recruited by Oregon State, Texas A&M, Washington State and Arizona.

4. Defensive backs

The biggest improvement the Rebels made during the off-season was in the defensive secondary with the addition of heralded transfers Eric Wright (No. 21), Mil'Von James (5) and Tony Cade (23).

Wright was a starter on USC's 2004 national championship team, James played two seasons at UCLA and Cade began his collegiate career at Oklahoma - giving UNLV three big-time college players in its defensive backfield.

Wright and James also will return kicks for the Rebels.

5. Beau Bell (No. 2)

Although Bell is only a junior, the returning starting linebacker already is being projected as an NFL prospect - with good reason.

The hard-hitting Bell is the Mountain West Conference's leading returning tackler (92 in 2005) and was the Rebels' second-leading sack man last season with 3.5.

Bell (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) was one of only two UNLV defenders selected to the preseason All-Mountain West Conference team (along with Wright at defensive back).

6. Sergio Aguayo (No. 10)

The almost automatic Aguayo returns for his junior season after providing the decisive kicks in both UNLV's victories last season.

As a sophomore, Aguayo connected on 21 of 22 point-after kicks and 12 of 16 field goal attempts - including a 52-yard game-winner against San Diego State and a 41-yard buzzer beater against Idaho.

Aguayo was selected the special teams player of the year on the preseason All-Mountain West Conference team.

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