Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Omar Clayton, Ryan Wolfe, Jason Beauchamp and the rest of UNLV’s football team will open camp today with one goal: reaching a bowl game for the first time since 2000.
A favorable schedule with seven home games at Sam Boyd Stadium, including three in a row to open the season, has led many to predict the Rebels will finally finish above .500.
After showing improvements last year in a respectable 5-7 season, coach Mike Sanford’s team will look to build on that success in his fifth year on the job.
The Rebels will escape the Las Vegas Valley heat from Tuesday to Aug. 19 with practices in Ely, a town where the temperature on average is nearly 20 degrees lower in August.
Here’s a look at the team by the numbers:
127 — Tackles by linebacker Jason Beauchamp last year to lead the Mountain West Conference
2,735 — Receiving yards by senior Ryan Wolfe during his UNLV career, a school record. His 209 career receptions are also a school best.
210 — Yards per game for quarterback Omar Clayton, who completed 58.9 percent of his passes and threw for 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions in nine games last year. The junior has recovered from a torn medial collateral ligament, which forced him out of the final three games last season.
295 — Miles from Sam Boyd Stadium to Ely’s White Pine High, the Rebels’ headquarters next week
103 — Degrees, average high in August in Las Vegas, according to climate-zone.com
84 — Degrees, average high in August in Ely, according to climate-zone.com
98 — UNLV’s spot in the Rivals.com preseason rankings out of 120 Division I teams.
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