Wild and crazy Bell ready to make his presence felt

By Ryan Greene

Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.

B.J. Bell is one of those guys you can't miss during the course of a game.

Self-described as loud, wild and crazy, UNLV's junior defensive end doesn't go unnoticed very easily, nor very often.

The Rebels need him to garner attention from opponents with much more than his personality this fall, however.

Last season, Mike Sanford's 5-7 club left a handful of potential wins on the table with late defensive lapses, and the numbers showed the holes.

100th in the nation in points allowed.

115th in quarterback sacks.

116th in tackles for loss.

Enter the third Bell to don the scarlet and gray.

"I feel a lot of anticipation," Bell said. "Hopefully I can do what they want me to do, so hopefully everything will be all good. I plan on doing my part. Whatever they want me to do, I plan on going out there and getting the job done."

Are the expectations placed on Bell by fans and outsiders fair? Maybe, maybe not.

But even though hardly anyone other than the coaching staff that recruited him has seen the youngest Bell play a down of defense, his name brings hope that he can anchor a defensive line in need of some bite after last season.

After Zach Bell lettered for four seasons as a Rebel from 2001-04, Beau Bell became a household figure in Las Vegas from 2004-07.

Beau was beyond a defensive bright spot, despite never playing on a UNLV team that won more than two games. The fierce linebacker was the Mountain West Conference's Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, and is now entering his second campaign with the Cleveland Browns.

B.J. will be the first Bell brother at UNLV to not letter for four seasons, but that doesn't take away from any of the build-up.

As a sophomore at Santa Ana (Calif.) College, he turned in eye-popping numbers, recording 72 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

The entire Rebels defense last year combined for 11 sacks and 50 tackles for loss.

"You bring in a junior college player, you don't bring him in to sit on the bench," UNLV defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell said. "You've got to find out what they can and can't do. We saw him do some pass-rushing in junior college, so hopefully that's what he'll do for us. But if he's a run guy and we have other guys that are better on the edge against the pass, we're gonna let them play the pass."

In other words, no starting job will be handed to Bell because of his ranking in the recruiting world — Rivals.com pegged him as the No. 45 juco prospect in last year's class — or his genetics.

"I plan on excelling at my position, so I want to take down everything that I can, get as much knowledge in and do what I have to do to put myself at the level I see myself at," Bell said. "I see myself, since I'm at the D-I level now, I've got to play like a D-I. I see myself at a higher level, and I've got to build myself up from where I'm at right now to that higher level. Once I'm there, I'll feel good.

"The expectations at juco, they're also high because you're trying to look good to get a scholarship there, but I feel that now that I have a scholarship, now I have to make it show that I earned my scholarship and don't lack the skills here on the field."

UNLV begins practicing as an entire team tonight out at Rebel Park, and Bell's strapping 6-foot-2, 260-pound physique isn't all that will make him stand out among his peers.

He plans on unleashing his gregarious personality right from go — the complete opposite of what he said the Rebels got from Beau.

"Me and my brother are two different people," he said. "He's serious and everything, he gets the job done, and all that. I get the job done, but I have a little fun on the side.

"My brother, he's more focused. I'm focused, also, but he's the strong, silent type when he gets the job done. I'm more loud and vocal and crazy, and I try to get my job done and also have a good time. Me and him, we just try to do our best at what we do."

The coaching staff certainly won't try to keep that bottled up.

"I like energetic players that get out and raise the tempo of practice and the game," Therrell said. "I think it's good, rather than just a bunch of dead guys. You can't have 11 guys like that, because you'll find that no communication will ever get done, but it's important to have a guy like that. They're fun to have around and bring a lot of energy to the game."

The defensive line shouldn't have any shortage of those in-your-face personalities, though. Junior tackle/end Malo Taumua already carries that stigma on the interior line, and is poised for a big year following a stellar spring, summer and finish to the 2008 season.

If Bell produces how everyone expects he can, he'll be allowed to be as loud and crazy as he wants.

"Hopefully they'll accept me," Bell said. "It feels right. I feel like they've welcomed me into the family pretty well since I used to come here as a young kid, and they all love my brothers. Hopefully they'll love me the same.

"But I've got to earn my spot."