Aug. 16, 2007
LAS VEGAS - UNLV head coach Mike Sanford announced late Thursday that redshirt freshman Travis Dixon will be the starting quarterback when the Rebels open their season at Utah State on August 30.
"Travis has had a tremendous summer and preseason camp and he will start for us against Utah State," Sanford said. "We knew he could make plays as a runner but he has worked very hard and is showing he can also make plays as a passer. He is ready to lead this offense and we feel great with Travis as our starter."
Dixon and returning starter Rocky Hinds were listed as co-starters heading into camp. However, Dixon has taken the majority of the snaps with the number-one offense as Hinds, who started 11 of 12 games last season for the Rebels, has been slowed in his recovery from off-season knee surgery. After experiencing swelling in his knee, Hinds left camp over the weekend to return to Los Angeles for testing, a process that continued through today.
"Because of his injury situation, Rocky's availability has not been completely determined," Sanford said. "We hope it gets settled soon and Rocky gets back into camp and helps us win games this season."
Dixon is a dual-threat quarterback who was originally a member of the 2005 UNLV recruiting class and grayshirted before enrolling full time in 2006 and redshirting. With Hinds out after surgery, Dixon ran the first team all spring and led his Scarlet squad to a victory in the annual spring game.
As a prep star, he passed for 2,100 yards and 25 touchdowns against just four interceptions as a senior, earning 5A First Team All-State honors for Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. He also rushed for 745 yards and 12 more scores during his final season, leading the Huskies to a second-straight state 5A championship.
A former USC transfer, Hinds passed for 2,148 yards and eight touchdowns last season as a sophomore, becoming the first Rebel signal caller since 1997 to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season. In his second career start Hinds injured his knee against Iowa State and played the rest of the season on a partially torn ACL before undergoing surgery in January.
