INSIDE SLANT
UNLV finished 5-7 for the second consecutive season and had its best Mountain West Conference record (3-5) since 2002. That wasn’t enough to save the job of fifth-year head coach Mike Sanford.
Sanford was fired before the team’s season-ending 28-24 victory over San Diego State. He finished with an overall record of 16-43, including 8-32 in MWC play.
So what now?
New UNLV President Dr. Neal Smatresk, who fired Sanford on Nov. 15, has said he will let his new athletic director make the coaching hire. One problem. The search for a new athletic director has been conducted at a snail’s pace—former athletic director Mike Hamrick left for a similar position at Marshall way back in July—and could go well into mid-December.
By that time, some of the top candidates for the football coaching position, including Dennis Franchione and former Boise State and Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter, could be locked up elsewhere. And forget about trying to salvage recruiting during the early signing period.
Word is UNLV, which paid Sanford just $425,000 this year, will finally boost the head coaching pay to a more competitive $700,000 per year.
Sanford made it a point before leaving to blame his record on some of the program’s shortcomings, including minimal community support, subpar facilities and a president that didn’t have the class to personally inform him of his decision to fire him.
What is clear is that UNLV’s football problems range a lot deeper than the head coaching position.
The good news for the next coach is that the cupboard won’t be entirely bare. The Rebels return 16 starters and have much better speed and depth than when Sanford took over for John Robinson in December of 2004.
NOTES, QUOTES
Game Of The Year: UNLV 34, Hawaii 33—The Rebels broke a two-game losing streak against their rivals thanks to a picture-perfect 15-yard fade from QB Omar Clayton to Phillip Payne with 36 seconds to go. UNLV rallied twice in the fourth quarter, giving the Rebels their first one-point win in seven years. Clayton finished with a career-high 340 passing yards and three touchdowns, and he also rushed 11 yards for another score.
Players Of The Year:
WR Ryan Wolfe—Had another sensational season, finishing with 74 receptions for 760 yards and two touchdowns despite missing the season finale with a broken foot. Finished his career as the all-time receptions leader in Mountain West Conference history (283), which is 12th on the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision list.
DT Martin Tevaseu—The 6-foot-2, 340-pound senior anchored the interior defensive line and finished with 28 tackles and a sack despite constant double-teaming.
Fast Forward: UNLV returns 16 starters, including starting QB Omar Clayton and backup Mike Clausen and two talented bookend offensive tackles in Matt Murphy and Evan Marchal. The big question is can Phillip Payne, a talented but sometimes erratic wide receiver, step up and become the go-to man that steady All-MWC receiver Ryan Wolfe has been the last three seasons? Defensively, the Rebels need to upgrade the defensive end position that struggled badly at times against the run. However, with seven returning starters and improved depth in the secondary, the Rebels aren’t that far away from fielding a solid MWC defense. The 2010 schedule is a tough one, however, with non-conference road games at West Virginia, Hawaii and Idaho and home games with Wisconsin and Nevada.
Recruiting Trail: According to Scout.com, the Rebels had five non-binding commitments at the end of the season: WR Sean Linton (La Mesa, Calif., Helix), WR Luke Russell (Denton, Texas), RB Dionza Bradford and LB Everett Reed from Serrano High in Phelan, Calif., and DT Quentin Jones of Columbus (Ohio) Northland. Whether those players remain committed when the new coaching staff is announced remains to be seen.
Quote To Note: “We don’t know as players what to look forward to. The guys who recruited us are not going to be here.”—UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton, on the uncertainty surrounding the program after the firing of head coach Mike Sanford.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Players To Watch In 2010:
QB Omar Clayton—Will be back for his fourth year as a starter. Question is, will the new Rebel head coach stick with the spread offense that the undersized 6-foot-1, 205-pound former walk-on excels in or will he switch to a more conventional pro-style drop-back approach?
OT Matt Murphy—Has been a staple at left tackle since earning Freshman All-American honors in 2007. Should contend once again for All-MWC honors in 2010.
WR Phillip Payne—Ended his sophomore year on a high note with five catches for 107 yards in the season finale against San Diego State, including the game-winning 17-yard touchdown grab with 1:24 to go. He struggled, however, with some drops in the second half of the season. Needs to step it up as the No. 1 option for departed Ryan Wolfe.
Pro Prospects:
WR Ryan Wolfe—Outgoing UNLV head coach Mike Sanford, who coached NFL first-rounders Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Conway and Johnnie Morton at USC, calls Wolfe the best receiver he’s ever coached. Wolfe has excellent hands and isn’t afraid to take a hit going over the middle. The big question will be his forty time this spring after undergoing surgery Nov. 23 for a broken left foot.
DT Martin Tevaseu—He’s 6-foot-2 and 340 pounds but can dunk a basketball and played point guard on his prep basketball team. UNLV DL coach Andre Patterson, who coached in the NFL for more than a decade, says he can play at the next level. The New England Patriots actually had scouts at UNLV’s fall camp in Ely watching him work out.
OG Joe Hawley—A versatile, hard-nosed four-year starter who can play guard or center. He’s also an excellent run blocker with good feet. Benches 450 pounds.
LB Jason Beauchamp—The 2008 Mountain West Conference tackles champ bounced back from knee and ankle injuries to have a strong second half, including 15 tackles and a sack in the season-finale against San Diego State.
Roster Report:
• WR Ryan Wolfe missed the season-finale against San Diego State after undergoing surgery on his left foot on Nov. 23. Wolfe had a screw inserted in his fifth metatarsal bone that be broke while fielding a punt in practice. He is expected to be sidelined for about three months.
• WR Renan Saint Preux, who was slated to replace WR Ryan Wolfe in the finale, also missed the game with an ankle injury.
• DE B.J. Bell, expected to be one of the team’s top pass rushers, is expected to be ready for spring practice after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum.
