Aug. 17, 2007
UNLV football went through a pair of practices on Friday, with the Rebels going through 24 periods in shoulder pads and shorts in the morning followed by a shorter 16-period workout in the evening.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Travis Dixon (Chandler, AZ/Hamilton HS) had a strong session of two-a-days after head coach Mike Sanford named Dixon the starter for the season opener at Utah State on Aug. 30.
"This is very exciting and I can't wait for August 30 against Utah State," Dixon said. "I am excited that they gave me the chance and I am going to take full advantage and lead this offense. This is everything I have worked for since high school and Pop Warner."
Junior Dack Ishii (Huntington Beach, CA/Knoxville Catholic HS) is now the backup quarterback on the depth chart behind Dixon heading into the final two weeks of preseason camp. Depending on the situation with Rocky Hinds' (Los Angeles, CA/St. Bernard HS) knee, he may be listed as the third quarterback or it may be one of two freshman signal callers in Mike Clausen (Riverside, CA/John W. North HS) or Omar Clayton (Normal, IL/Normal Community HS).
"It was time to make a decision and Travis has earned this," Sanford said. "He did not get this job by default. He is the best answer for us to win and he has made a tremendous commitment to this team."
With the team more than halfway through camp a number of positions are still being decided, and nowhere is that more true than in the secondary.
No less than seven Rebels are competing for time at cornerback in one of the most intense areas of competition on the team. Geoffery Howard (San Diego, CA/Horizon HS), Quinton Pointer Pointer (Cape Coral, FL/Mariner HS), Mil'Von James (Los Angeles, CA/Fremont HS) and Solomon Smart (Phoenix, AZ/Moon Valley HS) have started to separate themselves from the back. Coming on strong though are Nehemiah Mundy (Los Angeles, CA/Culver City HS), Lafayette Fletcher (Anaheim, CA/Morningside HS) and Will Chandler (Los Angeles, CA/Birmingham HS).
A trio of Rebels are battling for the two starting safety positions in another heated competition for a starting job. Senior safety Tony Cade (Lewisville, TX/Lewisville HS) brings the most experience to the field and sophomore Daryl Forte (Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) made eight starts and played in 11 games as a true freshman. Pushing that duo is true freshman Shane Horton (Chatsworth, CA/Notre Dame HS), who has made a strong impression in his first fall camp.
"There is a lot of competition going on in the secondary, both at the safety position and at corner," Sanford said. "Every day players step up and push one another and it is something that we are constantly evaluating."
REBEL CAMP NOTES:
MORNING RAIN DELAY... Midway through the morning practice a thunder storm moved through the area and the lightening forced the Rebels off the field for about 10 minutes. The storm passed over quickly though and the squad was back on the field and after a short session of stretching and some light sprints, the Rebels were back practicing at full speed.
BIRTHDAY WISHES... Following today's evening practice, the Rebels sang happy birthday to senior linebacker Adrian Bradley, who turned 22. Bradley earned his first letter as a Rebel last season and is majoring in journalism/media studies.
