Aug. 9, 2006
LAS VEGAS - UNLV football continued August Camp with another day of split-squad workouts at Rebel Park on Wednesday, and Rebel head coach Mike Sanford and his staff saw many positives during the third day of workouts.
Sanford was pleased with the way the Rebel secondary is taking shape, with John Guice, Jay Staggs, Nate Kenion, Eric Wright and Mil'Von James working well with newcomers Tony Cade and Daryl Forte. Sanford was especially pleased with the play of Cade, who transferred to UNLV from San Francisco City College after spending two years at Oklahoma.
"Tony Cade really stood out today. He was playing very fast and with a lot of intensity," Sanford said. "Overall the secondary looks like it will be very difficult to throw against. The group is coming together well."
The Scarlet team, comprised primarily of veterans, practiced in the morning and Sanford said that the offensive line once again stood out, along with the play of sophomore wide receiver Justin Marvel. In the early evening the Gray squad closed out the day and both of Wednesday's practices saw the teams moving through 22 five-minute periods.
"The morning group came in much more ready to practice, they weren't feeling sorry for themselves and they pushed through the heat and got a lot done," Sanford said. "The evening group, which is made up of a lot of younger players, slowed down a little bit today, but they still made progress."
Fall camp has also been the first action since the end of last season for senior punter Kip Facer, as he married the former Melanie De La Paz on Jan. 6, 2006 and missed spring football. Facer, who walked onto the Rebels last year and emerged as the starting punter, finished third last year in the Mountain West Conference and 47th overall in the nation with a 41.0 average.
"Being married is fabulous. You pick the right person and everything seems to be better," Facer said. "It is nice to be back with the team. I kicked all summer and I have felt pretty good since I have been in camp."
UNLV continues practice Thursday morning (8:55-11:05 a.m.) and it will be the first time during camp that the Rebels will practice as a full team. Practices this week are open to the public.
REBEL CAMP NOTES:
-- Friday morning's session (8:55-11:05 a.m.) will be UNLV's first in full pads.
-- UNLV football announced its four team captains for the 2006 season on Wednesday. Voted on by the team, the Rebels will be led by two senior captains from each side of the ball: running back Erick Jackson (Palmdale, Calif.) and lineman Marco Guerra (Los Angeles) on offense and defensive backs Jay Staggs (Goleta, Calif.) and Nate Kenion (Concord, Calif.) on defense. Also, a special teams captain will be determined on a rotating basis during the season.
