Aug. 9, 2007
LAS VEGAS - UNLV football conducted its final preseason practice at Rebel Park before moving camp off site, with coaches working their team through 26 five-minute sessions on Thursday morning.
It marked the fourth practice in full pads and the seventh day overall of fall camp and head coach Mike Sanford said the team has improved every time it has stepped on the field.
"We got a lot done today and throughout the first part of preseason camp," Sanford said. "The tempo and intensity of practices have improved every time and we are continuing to get better."
Early on Sanford said that standouts on the defensive side of the ball have been senior linebacker Beau Bell (Tustin, CA/Tustin HS), and defensive linemen Jeremy Geathers (Andrews, S.C./Andrews HS) and Malo Taumua (Honolulu, HI/Aiea HS).
Rebel players will spend Thursday afternoon and evening attending the UNLV Experience, an educational series of meetings discussing social issues such as gambling awareness.
"We are educating our players on several issues," Sanford said. "This will help our players avoid the pitfalls that some college student-athletes unfortunately find themselves in."
UNLV will now move its practices off campus for the next 12 days before returning to Las Vegas on Aug. 21 and beginning game-week preparations for the season opener at Utah State on Aug. 30.
REBEL CAMP NOTES:
-LONESTAR STATE REBELS... This year's Rebel roster has a distinct Texas flare, as no less than four student-athletes hail from the football hotbed. The number shows that the renewed emphasis UNLV head coach Mike Sanford has placed on recruiting in the talent-rich state has started paying off.
Tony Cade (Lewisville/Lewisville HS), Austin Harrington (Grapevine/Grapevine HS), Michael Johnson (Garland/South Garland HS) and Bryce Saldi (Southlake/Southlake Carroll HS) have all made the trek to UNLV. Although he is far away from home, Saldi said the closeness of the Rebel team appealed to him when he was making his decision of where to play collegiate football.
"The family atmosphere that the team had on my recruiting trip really stood out compared to other schools that were recruiting me," Saldi said. "It is a family here and this team is on the verge of turning it around and I wanted to be a part of it."
-PLANTE MAKES HIS DEBUT... Defensive lineman Luke Plante (Lake Arrowhead, CA/Rim of the World HS) practiced for the second day after missing the first five days of preseason camp due to a blister on his foot that became infected. Plante will have to go through the five-day acclimation period before he is allowed to practice in full pads.
