Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Ray Brewer:

Instant Analysis: Hauck wasn’t a bad coach but a victim of circumstances at UNLV

Hauck’s 5-year coaching tenure ends with a loss to UNR in Fremont Cannon game

UNLV-UNR football

L.E. Baskow

UNLV’s Devante Davis makes a touchdown catch over UNR’s Evan Favors during the first half at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014.

UNLV vs. UNR for Fremont Cannon

UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck talks lively with Nevada head coach Brian Polian before the start of their game at Sam Boyd Stadium on Friday, November 29, 2014. Launch slideshow »

Reader poll

Will Bishop Gorman High's Tony Sanchez be UNLV's next football coach?

View results

Last season, when the UNLV football team fell behind by three touchdowns against Central Michigan, I started writing a column about how coach Bobby Hauck wasn’t solely to blame for the program’s shortcomings.

He would have to be replaced, but the new coach would also fail if the university didn’t change its football culture. The school would have to invest in the program for it to be successful.

UNLV somehow rallied to beat Central Michigan that day and finished with a winning record to reach a bowl game for the first time in more than a decade. The column was never published; Hauck’s job was saved for one year.

The winning season was the worst thing that could have happened. It gave school officials a temporary false hope they could have a winning program without making changes.

The Rebels this season reverted to their old ways, finishing with a 2-11 record after being embarrassed today in the Fremont Cannon rivalry game against UNR, 49-27. Hauck this week threw in the white towel, resigning from his post and becoming the latest coach to fail to overcome the poor circumstances at UNLV.

The coaches passing through the revolving door here — see Sanford, Robinson, Horton, Strong — were doomed from the start because of the program’s lack of resources. That’s everything from pay for assistant coaches to weight training, practice facilities and the off-campus stadium. Something needs to change and not just bringing in a different coach to take a crack at beating the long odds.

Hauck was 80-17 in seven seasons at Montana before coming to UNLV. He didn’t become a bad coach overnight. Rather, he became the latest victim to the circumstances, learning quickly this is one of the worst Division I coaching jobs in the nation.

The good news is school officials feel the same way. They took part of the blame this week when Hauck resigned, saying changing the football culture is a must moving forward.

If nothing is changed, results like today's — another lopsided loss to Reno — will become an annual tradition.

Here are some observations from the game:

The rivalry gets intense: UNR’s Rykeem Yates was ejected in the first quarter for what appeared to be a low blow to UNLV’s Brett Boyko after a play had ended. Then at halftime, when assistant coaches for both teams were heading to their coaching booths, they got into a shouting match in the lobby of the press room. Media members jumped out of their seats as if they were back in middle school and there were a lunchroom brawl, hoping to see the action. No punches were thrown, but the incident showed how intense this rivalry has become. The dislike for each other is genuine. Let’s hope the game continues to be scheduled at the end of the season.

New coach needs a new quarterback: Junior quarterback Blake Decker had three interceptions to finish with a Mountain West-high 18 on the season. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown in the third quarter to give UNR a 35-20 lead, essentially putting the game out of reach. The other two interceptions were drive killers in the end zone. Decker is not the answer under center next season. The new coach will have several priorities on the recruiting trail, but finding a capable quarterback will be at the top of the list. A football team goes as far as its quarterback can lead it, and Decker hasn’t proved capable.

Boyd gives Rebels a nice piece moving forward: Freshman wide receiver Devonte Boyd had another solid game with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, adding to his record-breaking season. Boyd two weeks ago broke the school’s freshman record for receiving yards, finishing the season with a team-best 64 receptions for 973 yards and four touchdowns. He is going to be fun to watch the next three seasons, likely continuing to rewrite the UNLV record book.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy