Aug. 14, 2008
REBEL CAMP 2008 - Junior linebacker Starr Fuimaono (Chula Vista, CA/Bonita Vista HS) was all over the field during Wednesday's practice, picking off a pass and clogging up another offensive set with a tackle for loss. Those two big plays helped earn Fuimaono the coveted Black Jersey for the defense.
Making big plays had become the norm for Fuimaono last season before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at Wyoming. Despite missing the last quarter of his sophomore campaign, Fuimaono still was third on the team with 68 total tackles, including four for loss.
Rebel defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell said that Fuimaono, who was limited in the spring following surgery, is back running at full speed, meaning things are looking bright for the UNLV defense.
"He is making plays out there and is really looking like the old Starr," Therrell said. "He had a little thinking to do when we first started practice since he had missed some time, but now he is just reacting and making plays."
Sophomore quarterback Omar Clayton (Normal, IL/Normal Community HS) was the offensive selection for the Black Jersey following a strong practice on Wednesday. The Black Jersey is just another symbol of the incredible strides Clayton has taken since walking on to the Rebels last fall.
"The big thing with the Black Jersey is, while it says a lot about how well a guy is playing, it also comes with an awful lot of respect from the players," offensive coordinator Todd Berry said. "It is very exciting watching him perform well each day at practice. The biggest difference in a player is from their freshman to sophomore year, and he has performed very well thus far."
BLACK JERSEY WINNERS
Aug. 10: DB Geoffery Howard & WR Ryan WolfeAug. 11: DL Malo Taumua & OL Matt MurphyAug. 12: DL Malo Taumua & RB Frank SummersAug. 13: DL Jacob Hales & WR Ryan WolfeAug. 14: LB Starr Fuimaono & QB Omar Clayton
TWO MINUTES...TWO MINUTES REMAINING
UNLV spent the last two periods of practice working on a two-minute drill, with the top offense going against the Rebels' No. 1 defense for a series of six plays, followed by the second units.
Clayton completed a pair of a pair of passes to Ryan Wolfe (Santa Clarita, CA/Hart HS) during the live drill that featured little contact, and Clayton also added a nifty rush. Freshman signal caller Mike Clausen (Riverside, CA/John W. North HS) also fared well in the end-game situation, completing a pair of passes and adding a long scramble down the left sideline to inside the five.
STRIPES GONE
Two more Rebel rookies earned their stripes Thursday morning before the beginning of the team's 22-period workout, and both were from the offensive backfield. Freshman running backs C.J. Cox (Garland, TX/N. Garland HS) and Imari Thompson (DeSoto, TX/Cedar Hill HS) had the red stripes removed from their silver helmets.
NEXT UP
The Rebels will hold a two-a-day session on Friday in advance of a full team scrimmage on Saturday morning. UNLV will continue to practice off campus until returning to Las Vegas on Aug. 19.
