Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 | 3:30 p.m.
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If last year proved anything, it's that Bobby Hauck's depth chart can be subject to major change from week to week, and guys must perform to keep their jobs.
But on Saturday, he released his two-deep for UNLV's nationally televised Thursday night season opener at Wisconsin, with a handful of surprises catching the eye. The Rebels and Badgers get underway at 5 p.m. PDT on ESPN.
Some of the notable spots on the depth chart include …
• The starting left tackle spot is still up for grabs between redshirt freshmen Brett Boyko and Cameron Jefferson. Jefferson has taken the bulk of the snaps with the first unit so far in fall practice and is considered to be the program's left tackle of the future. Either way, the starting offensive line will feature two freshmen, with Robert Waterman winning the job at center.
• Phillip Payne, the Rebels' All-Mountain West senior receiver who missed most of fall camp while recovering from a broken foot, is listed as a starter along with rising sophomore Marcus Sullivan. Bishop Gorman grad Taylor Spencer, who switched from safety to receiver in the spring, is listed as a No. 2 behind Payne. Not listed is senior Michael Johnson, who led the team in receptions last season, but was suspended in the spring for undisclosed reasons. He's still expected to see plenty of snaps early in the season.
• Caleb Herring won the starting quarterback job officially about a week ago, but junior college transfer Sean Reilly, despite an inconsistent camp, was able to cling to the No. 2 spot ahead of redshirt freshman Taylor Barnhill.
• Sophomore running back Bradley Randle had a stellar camp and earned the No. 2 spot behind last year's leading rusher, sophomore Tim Cornett. In front of them at fullback, redshirt freshman William Vea, who just switched over from linebacker a week ago, owns the top spot.
• At linebacker, highly-touted junior college transfer Princeton Jackson is still learning the ropes. He'll get playing time at middle linebacker, but is listed as a No. 2 behind senior captain Nate Carter. Converted running back C.J. Cox earned one of the starting jobs at outside linebacker.
• Senior captain Quinton Pointer, who played only one snap last season before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, will start at one cornerback spot. On the other side, last year's interception leader, senior Will Chandler, is listed as a No. 2 behind sophomore Palo Verde product Sidney Hodge, who had an outstanding camp all-around.
• Both safety spots are still up for grabs. At strong safety, it's between senior USC transfer Daniel Harper and sophomore Eric Tuiloma-Va'a. Redshirt Freshman Tajh Hasson and junior Kenny Brown are competing for the free safety gig.
• Juco transfer defensive backs Ken Spigner (cornerback) and Dre Crawford (safety) will both likely see playing time this season, but for now are not on the two-deep.
• Sophomore Green Valley product Nolan Kohorst held onto the job as UNLV's placekicker. Junior college transfer Chase Lansford will handle punting duties.
The full UNLV depth chart for the Wisconsin game is as follows, with starters bolded and listed first, with backups below them:
OFFENSE
LEFT TACKLE
69 Brett Boyko (6-7, 300, Fr.-RS) -or-
78 Cameron Jefferson (6-6, 290, Fr.-RS)
LEFT GUARD
63 Sean Tesoro (6-3, 315, So.)
67 Brad Overand (6-5, 280, So.)
CENTER
79 Robert Waterman (6-2, 280, Fr.-RS)
70 Jason Heath (6-3, 280, Jr.)
RIGHT GUARD
64 Doug Zismann (6-2, 290, Jr.)
58 Brian Roth (6-5, 295, Fr.-RS)
RIGHT TACKLE
77 Yusef Rodgers (6-2, 250, Jr.)
71 Shane Watterson (6-4, 280, So.)
TIGHT END
88 Anthony Vidal (6-5, 250, Sr.)
89 Austin Harrington (6-4, 235, Sr.)
WIDE RECEIVER
4 Phillip Payne (6-3, 205, Sr.)
21 Taylor Spencer (6-1, 195, Fr.-RS)
WIDE RECEIVER
18 Marcus Sullivan (5-9, 190, So.)
9 Eric Johnson (5-7, 170, Jr.)
QUARTERBACK
8 Caleb Herring (6-3, 190, So.)
14 Sean Reilly (6-4, 210, Jr.)
RUNNING BACK
35 Tim Cornett (6-0, 200, So.)
28 Bradley Randle (5-7, 195, So.)
FULLBACK
37 William Vea (6-0, 220, Fr.-RS)
Max Johnson (6-1, 225, So.)
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE END
96 James Dunlap (6-1, 260, Sr.)
53 Matt Kravetz (6-1, 260, Sr.)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
47 Trent Allmang-Wilder (6-6, 280, Jr.)
99 Tyler Gaston (6-3, 280, So.)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
95 Alex Klorman (6-2, 275, So.) -or-
68 Nate Holloway (6-3, 350, So.)
DEFENSIVE END
92 B.J. Bell (6-2, 260, Sr.)
91 Alvin Amilcar (6-4, 265, Jr.)
WILL LINEBACKER
41 Tani Maka (6-1, 240, So.)
55 John Lotulelei (6-0, 230, Jr.)
MIKE LINEBACKER
36 Nate Carter (6-1, 235, Sr.)
40 Princeton Jackson (6-0, 205, Jr.)
SAM LINEBACKER
3 C.J. Cox (5-11, 210, Jr.)
43 Tim Hasson (6-2, 210, So.)
CORNERBACK
10 Quinton Pointer (5-10, 190, Sr.)
17 Kenneth Penny (5-11, 160, Fr.-RS)
STRONG SAFETY
22 Daniel Harper (5-10, 180, Sr.) -or-
13 Eric Tuiloma-Va'a (5-11, 185, So.)
FREE SAFETY
29 Tajh Hasson (6-1, 190, Fr.-RS) -or-
20 Kenny Brown (5-10, 175, Jr.)
CORNERBACK
23 Sidney Hodge (5-8, 175, So.)
1 Will Chandler (5-11, 185, Sr.)
SPECIAL TEAMS
PLACEKICKER
27 Nolan Kohorst (6-1, 175, So.)
39 Chase Lansford (6-2, 190, Jr.)
PUNTER
39 Chase Lansford (6-2, 190, Jr.)
27 Nolan Kohorst (6-1, 175, So.)
SNAPPER
AJ Martin (5-11, 210, Jr.)
HOLDER
Mike Clausen (6-2, 215, Sr.)
KICK RETURNERS
18 Marcus Sullivan (5-9, 190, So.)
9 Eric Johnson (5-7, 170, Jr.)
PUNT RETURNER
9 Eric Johnson (5-7, 170, Jr.)
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