Aug. 6, 2008
LAS VEGAS - With two practices turned in by the UNLV football team, Wednesday's news was dominated by an injury situation at Rebel Park.
Sophomore defensive back Quinton Pointer (Cape Coral, FL/Mariner HS) suffered a dislocated elbow in a collision with another defensive player during a 7-on-7 pass skeleton drill in the morning. However, X-rays were negative.
"The bad news is that Quinton Pointer dislocated his elbow but the good news is that it's not a surgical situation," said head coach Mike Sanford. "They had to put him under to re-set it but there were no broken bones or torn ligaments. The recovery time for something like this is 2-4 weeks."
Slated to start at one cornerback spot in the Rebel secondary, Pointer filed an impressive rookie season in which he started eight games and had two interceptions, broke up two passes and recorded 50 total tackles to rank sixth on the team.
REBEL RAIN
After a morning practice in shoulder pads and helmets that featured only veteran players, all of the newcomers and a few returnees enjoyed a rare treat in the evening session - a cooling rainfall at Rebel Park. Large drops hit the fields for about 10 minutes and helped cut down the high humidity and provided a break from the hot sun.
"Loved that!" said Sanford. "It was awesome to get some rain out here and the guys liked practicing in it for a few minutes."
COMING TOGETHER
Sanford said he and the staff are looking forward to Thursday morning when the entire team practices together for the first time during camp.
"I can't wait. This has been a good week and there's a purpose to the split squads. It helps guys get more reps and some more personalized attention, but we're ready for the whole team to be out here together."
A BIG WELCOME
There was a new Rebel lineman at Wednesday's evening practice and he was, shall we say, a sizable addition to the roster. Junior defensive lineman Lale Taiese (Oakland, CA/Skyline HS/Laney College), all 6-3, 275 pounds of him, pulled on a UNLV helmet for the first time. Taiese, who hails from the same junior college of UNLV starting tailback Frank Summers, also played with the Tank at powerful Skyline High School in the Bay Area.
The addition of Taiese along with yesterday's camp newbie Martin Tevaseu (Boonville, CA/Santa Rosa JC), suddenly gives the Rebel defensive line a lot more beef in the middle.
"They are both good interior linemen to go with Jacob Hales (Las Vegas/Las Vegas HS) and Malo Taumua (Honolulu, HI/Aiea HS)," said Sanford. "They are going to be right there competing in the middle along with Perry Eppenger (North Las Vegas/Cheyenne HS), who had a great summer. The great thing is that we're finally developing some depth at that spot."
THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE
The team is scheduled for one practice from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on campus. It is open to the public.
