LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV football continued its spring practices on Wednesday.

Tony Sanchez's squad practiced for just less than two hours in front of a nice crowd at Rebel Park.

About 70 kids from the Henderson Bearcats were in attendance of the team's second practice this week. The kids, which ranged from ages six to 13, took a tour of the Lied Athletic Complex and enjoyedwatching the Rebels work in the afternoon.

FLIGHT CREW
One of the groups that has stood out to head coach Tony Sanchez and his staff this spring has been the receiving corps. While there is still work to do, Sanchez has been impressed with their resolve.

"Devonte Boyd and Kendal Keys lead the way but Aaron Criswell and Anthony Williams have done a good job too," Sanchez said. "The thing that has impressed me about our wide receivers is that they have had to carry the load. We don't have enough bodies out here right now. They go through quite a few reps during practices so we are trying not to run them into the ground."

Boyd was named to the 2014 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team last year. The rising sophomore led the team with 65 receptions and 980 yards and caught four touchdowns.

"Boyd is a special guy," Sanchez said. "There is a reason why he was an All-American last year and almost had 1,000 yards receiving as freshman. He has to be that guy again this season. I think the hardest transition as a player is stepping up into those leadership roles. He has had to deal with that and a lot more is expected of him."

Classmate Kendal Keys finished with 310 yards on 24 catches and two touchdowns. He made a number of spectacular catches as a freshman and has shown off his skills this spring.

Seniors Anthony Williams and Aaron Criswell are the elder statesmen of the group. Williams comes into the season with 759 career receiving yards on 67 catches, while Criswell redshirted last season after playing in eight games as a junior.

"The one thing about those guys is that they are all good kids," receivers coach Cedric Cormier said. "They are hard working kids and that's half the battle. They bought in right away and I think the transition was easier with me coaching them last season and them being the kind of kids they are."

Last year, the receivers were a senior laden group with Devante Davis, Maika Mataele and Marcus Sullivan. Those three have exhausted their eligibility and this spring the remaining receivers have stepped up to fill the void.

"My expectations aren't going to change," Cormier said. "I told them to make every rep count. Our deal is to get better every day and our goal is to always be the best group in the Mountain West."

This spring the receiving group has shown off its playmaking skill set but still has some things to work on with only a few spring practices remaining.

"They have done a good job of making plays," Sanchez said. "I think we have to do a little bit better job of making the easy catch, but man have they made some great plays. There going to have to be a group that bails us out of some things and makes plays this year. It is by far one of our more talented groups and is our most talented group offensively. So they are going to have to step up with the limited number of bodies and help us."


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 took 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 CHANGEApril 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  4:00-6:15 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