LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV football had another enthusiastic practice at Rebel Park under perfect weather conditions.

A strong contingent of fans watched the Rebels hold their last "no pads" practice of the week. Moving forward, the team will practice in shells on Friday before moving to full padded practices on Saturday.

NEW SOUND TO UNLV FOOTBALL

Fans who have attended practice this season have noticed a few changes to the UNLV football program, but one change that drastically stands out is the sound.

A new system called "Tempo by Coachcomm" has been added to the team's practices. The system includes two trailers that house three speakers and several countdown clocks situated around the field. The speakers sit at the end of the two-practice fields and blast music for the players throughout the practice. The system integrates with the clocks and announces the next practice period when the countdown reaches zero.

"They are really cool," junior fullback Marc Philippi said about the new system. "They have a lot of bass and they're loud. It's really exciting to go out there. Not to mention the playlist is really diverse so you get some classic rock and some newer music. I really like it."

While it may be new to UNLV, many schools already have a similar system in place for their practices. A private donor donated the funds needed, which exceeded over $100,000, for the system.

"A lot of teams use them now," head coach Tony Sanchez said. "If you go to USC's practice, they are rocking the music. You can ask anyone on our staff about them and they have seen them in use for years."

The up-tempo playlist adds energy to the practice and the players (and coaches) are responding by flying around the field.

"It creates tempo and energy," Sanchez said. "On game day, players don't walk onto that field and warm up without the music cranked, so it's good for our guys to get used to it in practice. I think our guys like them. It provides a lot of energy for them. This is not a quiet game, it's a game where you get after it and its emotional. The music adds some emotion it."

"I like the energy they bring to practice and they are really loud," Philippi said. "That is good because you really need to focus and listen to what your coaches are saying and I think it helps manage distractions."

The noise is so loud that it can be hard to have a conversation on the sideline, let alone hear what a coach is telling you in the middle of a drill. But that is something that the players will also encounter on game day.

"There is also a teaching component to it too," Sanchez said. "If you are a good player you are going to learn to drown that stuff out and learn to focus. So when all that noise is going on, if you are listening to it and your not paying attention to what's going on in front of you, that will affect you."

SPRING SLATE

UNLV is scheduled to work out for approximately two hours, four days a week (except one) with 4 p.m. practices on Mondays and Wednesdays, 1 p.m. kickoffs on Fridays and 9 a.m. starts on a pair of Saturdays. The squad will take off for spring break during the week of March 30-April 3.

All practices are open to the public but viewing areas are restricted and no use of mobile communication devices will be allowed while at Rebel Park. Please note that times are subject to change.

The public is invited to attend the FREE family-friendly Spring Showcase, which moves to a Saturday this year and will kick off at 12 p.m. The event will again be held on campus at UNLV's soccer complex at Peter Johann Memorial Field.

The Showcase on April 18 will be preceded by the popular biennial UNLV Athletics Inventory Clearance Sale staged inside the McDermott PE Complex's North Gym. Brands available include Nike, Russell and Adidas for official men's and women's team apparel such as game uniforms, jerseys, warm-ups, coaching shirts and athletic shoes as well as other memorabilia. The unique sale will run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cash and major credit cards will be accepted and all proceeds benefit the UNLV Athletics Department.

UNLV 2015 SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE -- OPEN TO THE PUBLICPLEASE NOTE: ALL DATES AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
March 20  Friday    Practice 3  Shells  1:00-3:00 pmMarch 21  Saturday  Practice 4  Pads    9:00-11:00 amMarch 23  Monday    Practice 5  Pads    4:00-6:00 pmMarch 25  Wednesday Practice 6  Pads    4:00-6:00 pmMarch 27  Friday    Practice 7  Pads    1:00-3:00 pmMar 30-Apr 3 Spring Break   No PracticesApril 6   Monday    Practice 8  Shells  4:00-6:00 pmApril 8   Wednesday Practice 9  Pads    4:00-6:00 pmApril 10  Friday    Practice 10 Pads    1:00-3:00 pmApril 11  Saturday  Practice 11 Pads    9:00-11:00 amApril 13  Monday    Practice 12 Shells  4:00-6:00 pmApril 15  Wednesday Practice 13 Pads    4:00-6:00 pmApril 17  Friday    Practice 14 No Pads 1:00-3:00 pmApril 18  Saturday  Practice 15 SPRING SHOWCASE 12:00-1:30 pm on campus