Mondays with Mike: Focus, focus and more focus

By Ryan Greene

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008 | 2:23 a.m.

Each Monday, UNLV football coach Mike Sanford meets with the media to discuss last weekend's action and next weekend's matchup. So each Monday the Sun will bring you notes and quotes discussing both.

Here's a disparity for you ...

In the first quarter of their six games so far this season, the UNLV football squad has outscored its opponents 59-13. That includes leads of 17-7 over UNR and 14-3 over Colorado State in their last two games.

Both turned into losses. At the start of those turns for the worse have been second-quarter woes. And while the Rebels hold that wide margin over the competition in the first 15 minutes of games, the second quarters have seen UNLV get outscored 66-37.

So, what gives?

"We've done a lot of analyzing on that," UNLV coach Mike Sanford said Monday at his weekly luncheon. "We've been able to start fast. But the thing we haven't done is improve, gain momentum and get stronger as the game goes on. As far as why? We've been analyzing that and I don't know why."

The closest thing Sanford and his staff have been able to come up with is that some kind of a lull develops subtly behind the scenes with his team. A lot of that has to do with focus, something which the team's veteran players have pointed out in recent weeks.

It's not as simple to cure as you may think, though.

"It's really hard for young kids to stay focused on anything now," Sanford said. "Everything is sensory overload. It's very hard now.

"I've been coaching 31 years, and I think progressively there's less and less focus over a period of time. And I think the games seem longer to players now. Three hours of focusing, that's hard. I'm not making excuses, I'm just explaining the phenomenon. I think it's tied in with those things that are causing a lull."

In terms of football-related distractions, they're there, both direct and indirect. Some of it has done with complexities of the game -- offenses constantly studying and adjusting to defenses, and vice versa. On the other hand, handling the attention that came with a 3-1 start and back-to-back wins over Arizona State and Iowa State was more difficult than expected.

Sanford said he's seen some increased focus during the off week, which is a positive sign, especially when you consider the natural disciplined nature of the Rebels' upcoming opponent, Air Force.

"This team we're playing this week, they're, by nature, good focusers," he said. "I think that (service) academy kids, they're overachiever-type kids, and they're able to focus. And most of the kids that go there were self-disciplined before they went there, because they gravitate towards that environment."

Latest on the injury front ...

The week away from game mode allowed several bumps and bruises to heal up, leaving the Rebels with just two players who are out for this week's contest.

The first - an obvious one - is junior linebacker Starr Fuimaono, who underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ACL, medial cartilage and lateral cartilage in the knee he injured in week two on special teams. The other is reserve sophomore defensive end Preston Brooks, who suffered a concussion in practice recently. He is listed as doubtful.

As for senior cornerback Geoffery Howard, who left the Colorado State game with a sprained toe, Sanford said he's at 90 percent right now.

Sanford held some guys out of pads for part of last week, such as receivers Casey Flair and Ryan Wolfe and running back Frank Summers. But, again, nothing serious.

"Pretty much that whole group was beat up," he said. "Every one of those guys will play.

"I think each day everybody's getting better. (The week off) was good for Evan Marchal, good for Frank, good for Ronnie Paulo, good for Jacob Hales, good for Quinton Pointer."

Speaking of Pointer ...

When Sanford said last week that no one's starting spots in the secondary for the Air Force game were secured, that even included Pointer, a sophomore cornerback who was UNLV's top returner in the defensive backfield this season.

Pointer's struggled this season not only to cover consistently, but also in playing the ball while wearing a thick brace over the elbow he dislocated on just the second day of fall camp.

The chances are he'll have to simply adjust to playing with it for the season's second half as opposed to living without it.

"My guess is probably not," Sanford said to the likelihood of him playing without the brace. "The thing that they're doing with him is he's got a device that helps him straighten his elbow - He still can't completely straighten his elbow.

"I think when he first tried to play with it, he hadn't really gone through the adjustment period to playing with one arm at that point, and he struggled a lot. It also caused him to not focus on some things he should focus on, and he got beat in ways he normally wouldn't get beat. There's a big challenge for him to improve in the second half of the season and play like he can play."

Staying in the secondary ...

Sanford said that starters still have yet to be determined over the next few days for the Air Force game.

Of course, the Falcons have only attempted 64 passes through six games this season. Still, coverage has only been a part of the problem for the Rebels in the defensive backfield. Missed tackles have plagued Sanford's club, and with that said, there are plenty of guys jockeying maybe not for starting spots, but for at least more part-time reps beginning on Saturday.

Some of those names to keep an eye out for are Deante Purvis (who has performed well on special teams and has speed to burn), Lorenzo Bursey Jr. (who has already been in the mix some early on), Beau Orth (the Gorman product who's had a knack for the big play in limited reps so far), and converted quarterbacks Chris Jones and Travis Dixon.

No more Miller ...

Junior linebacker Jimmy Miller, a Mississippi State transfer originally from Los Angeles, has left the football program for personal reasons.

He recorded six tackles in four games this year while playing in a reserve role at the middle linebacker post behind Ronnie Paulo. Taking that spot now on the depth chart is Rusty Worthen.

Cox still No. 2 in the backfield ...

Should the Rebels try to match Air Force's ground-first tendencies in order to manage the clock Saturday, expect to see some of freshman C.J. Cox, who had two carries for 29 yards against Colorado State and continues to see action ahead of sophomore Channing Trotter.

"I would say there's still a competition going on between him and Channing Trotter, but it's leaning right now in the direction of C.J., without a question," Sanford said.

Cox is part of a growing trend within the Rebel program in terms of recruiting the state of Texas. A native of Garland, Cox will surely have more teammates in the coming years from his home state. One next season will be Mark Barefield from Mesquite, who recently became the Rebels' third commitment for the class of 2009.

A big reason things could pick up in Texas for UNLV is the presence of first-year running backs coach Kenneth Pope, who for the last five years held a similar position at Texas A&M. With him in place, the Rebels are now making more efforts in the Houston, Beumont and Galveston areas as opposed to exclusively looking at the Dallas region.

"Football's important in Texas, and the kids you get out of there, in order to survive and play football in Texas, in order to start since there's so much competition, those guys love to play football," Sanford said. "The kids we've gotten just love football. It's not a very far direct flight out of either Dallas or Houston to Las Vegas, so because of that we have a very positive in-road into those two places."

And also ...

"Speed," Sanford said. "It's very important to us in this recruiting class."

Looking at Air Force ...

Things don't get any easier for the Rebels out of the bye week, and they're in dire need of a positive result coming off of two straight disappointing losses with conference heavyweights BYU and TCU on the horizon.

Air Force comes to Sam Boyd for a 7 p.m. kickoff Saturday night with a 4-2 mark (2-1 in the Mountain West), and on the heels of a 35-10 win at San Diego State. The Falcons trailed 10-7 at the half before rattling off 28 unanswered points in the game's final 30 minutes.

They succeeded by doing what they do best - running the football. Air Force cranked out 401 yards the old-fashioned way.

"They're running more triple-option this year," Sanford said. "But they combine triple-option football with Denver Bronco zone run game. It creates a lot of problems for your defense."

The Falcons do it with several weapons, as six players on the rosters currently have at least 132 rushing yards on the season, led by Kyle Lumpkin's 371. Quarterback Shea Smith, who has thrown for just 394 yards, has 229 and six scores on the ground.

Air Force is tops in the Mountain West in rushing offense at 292.5 yards per game, while UNLV ranks eighth in run defense, allowing 213 yards per game.

Rebels calling on former lettermen to return for homecoming ...

As a part of homecoming festivities this weekend when Air Force comes to town, Sanford and the Rebels are inviting all former UNLV football players to a lettermen event before kickoff.

Former UNLV players who RSVP will receive two complimentary tickets (plus an option to purchase additional tickets at a special rate) and will be invited to a tailgate dinner outside of Sam Boyd Stadium. Lettermen will also receive a UNLV football T-shirt and will be invited to help welcome the current Rebels onto the field for their game against the Falcons.

This year's event includes a pregame salute to the first Rebels football team of 1968 in conjunction with the program's 40th anniversary celebration.

To confirm attendance, contact UNLV football program director Sara Swanson by Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 702-895-2474 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Be sure to stay tuned to www.lasvegassun.com the rest of this week (and the season, for that matter) for all of your UNLV football coverage, including stories, blogs, photos, videos and live in-game coverage.