UNLV
Rebels

?? But a five-game mid-season losing streak that featured three close losses to Colorado State, BYU and Air Force took the steam out of the Rebels (5-7), who blew a chance at of least finishing with a .500 record with a disappointing 42-21 loss at lowly San Diego State in the season finale.

?? Still, a bump from two wins to five was something for Sanford, who received a three-year contract after the season, and UNLV to build on.

?? With 15 returning starters, improved depth and another solid recruiting class in tow, this figures to finally be the year that the Rebels return to a bowl game.

?? "We took some significant steps forward last year in building this program," Sanford said. "Now we have to take the next step and become a winning team."

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?? SPRING MOVERS:

?? DT Malo Taumua -- Don't be surprised if this emotional and quick junior, who already has 23 college starts under his belt, has a breakout year. He was cited by head coach Mike Sanford has having the best spring of any Rebel defender.

?? WRs Rodelin Anthony and Michael Johnson -- The 6-foot-5 Anthony, who has the body of an NFL tight end, and the explosive Johnson both had excellent springs, which should take some of the pressure off of standout wide receiver Ryan Wolfe and super soph Phillip Payne in the shotgun spread offense.

?? QB Mike Clauson -- Although the left-handed sophomore is expected to back up returning starter Omar Clayton in the fall, he was the unofficial MVP of the Scarlet vs. Gray spring game and gives the Rebels some much welcomed depth at the quarterback position.

?? QUOTE TO NOTE: "We had a very disappointing and frustrating loss at the end of the season. We had an opportunity to do a lot more but fell short. It serves as a motivating factor in the offseason because we were so close and didn't get it done. Now we have to get it done." -- UNLV head coach Mike Sanford.

?? With a strong emphasis on plugging weaknesses in the secondary and on the defensive line, this appears to be a much better and deeper UNLV squad entering 2009. The schedule, which features seven home games and contests against a school-record eight bowl teams, is a challenging one but one a healthy Rebel squad should be able to convert into a post-season bowl berth.

?? SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Junior Omar Clayton, who threw for 18 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions before missing the final three games with a knee injury, should challenge BYU's Max Hall for All-Conference honors. Unlike recent years, the Rebels also have a proven and experienced backup in sophomore Mike Clauson who won two of his three starts a year ago. The WR group, led by All-America candidate Ryan Wolfe and super sophomore Phillip Payne, is the best in the Mountain West. The offensive line is physical but lacks depth. A big key will be finding a suitable replacement for two-year starter Frank "The Tank" Summers at tailback.

?? SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The front seven, led by tackles Malo Taumua and Martin Tevaseu and linebackers Jason Beauchamp and Starr Fuimaono, is the best the school has had since its last bowl trip in 2000.?The big key will be the development of the secondary. There will be no shortage of candidates after Sanford signed eight defensive backs, including four from junior college, last February.

?? SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: Both kickers, senior Kyle Watson and junior Ben Jaekle, return. Watson was 7-of-8 on short field goals and a perfect 35-of-35 on PATs, while Jaekle handled kickoffs and was 5-of-11 on long field goals, including a pair of 52-yarders. Both have expressed a desire to be "the man" and will battle in fall camp for the No. 1 job, although Jaekle will definitely handle kickoff duties again. The big question is who will replace dependable Dack Ishii at punter. Both Watson and Jaekle battled senior Brandon Lamers in spring ball, but no one stood out. Sanford hinted a walk-on could join the battle in the fall.

?? ROSTER REPORT:

?? --Outside linebacker Starr Fuimaono, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the season at Utah, sat out spring drills but is expected to be 100 percent for the start of fall camp. Fuimaono was arguably UNLV's top all-around defender in 2007 and is an All-Conference-caliber player when healthy.

? --Senior safety Terrance Lee drew raves from Sanford for his play as the team's nickel back, a key position against teams that run the spread offense. "Either you're going to be playing extra DBs or you're gonna be mismatched," Sanford said, noting that Wyoming, New Mexico and San Diego State have joined the Rebels, Utah and BYU in using the spread attack.

? --UNLV picked up two early verbal commitments at its spring game. Defensive tackle Quentin Jones (6-0, 324, 5.24) of Northland High in Columbus, Ohio, and linebacker Austin Arias (6-0, 215) of Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial both pledged the Rebels that night.