Sept. 28, 2005

LAS VEGAS - UNLV junior quarterback Shane Steichen will have surgery tomorrow to repair the ring finger on his left (and non-throwing) hand and will miss at least 4-6 weeks, Rebel head coach Mike Sanford announced Wednesday.

Steichen broke the finger during the first series of last Saturday's loss at Utah State but played the entire game.

Junior Jarrod Jackson, who transferred to UNLV from Grossmont Junior College near San Diego last January but has not played this season, will get the start Saturday as the Rebels travel to Wyoming for a 1 p.m. PDT game.

"I'm excited to go out and do my job and have fun," Jackson said. "Even though I haven't played yet, I've been here since January, through spring practice and fall camp so I am comfortable with the offense. I've been waiting for this (playing in Division One) since I was a freshman in high school."

Jackson, 6-1, 205, from Lake Oswego, Ore., compiled a 21-2 record in two years as the starter for Grossmont, which was the top-ranked team in Southern California entering the 2004 postseason after winning the Foothill Conference.

"We are disappointed that Shane Steichen will not play but we feel good about Jarrod Jackson taking over," Sanford said. "With Shane sidelined, we have been preparing for Jarrod to start all week. He has been a winner in high school and junior college and we like that he has been successful wherever he's been."

Steichen, who has completed 54 percent of his passes for 800 yards, threw for seven touchdowns with four interceptions through the first four games. He also sits second on the team in rushing with 244 yards and two touchdowns while ranking third in the Mountain West Conference and 29th in the nation in total offense with 261 yards per game.

True freshman Mike McDonald (6-1, 205) out of Burbank, Calif., now becomes UNLV's backup quarterback.