Rebels take measure of Hauck’s methods

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When John Robinson was UNLV’s football coach in 2002, he oversaw the makeover of the entrance to Rebel Park. Players walked through huge gates, passing plaques listing the names of seniors who had beaten UNR.

Robinson’s successor in 2005, Mike Sanford, had the Rebels enter the field through a smaller, less glamorous side gate for five seasons. So much for the motivation of the plaques.

Under new coach Bobby Hauck, the gates are open again. That was the first noticeable change at his first UNLV practice as the Rebels opened spring drills Monday.

But it wasn’t the only difference. Drill periods last 10 minutes instead of five, but there are half as many sessions. And now there is no clock for players to peek at and know how much time remains.

Time is to be spent getting better.

“Coach Hauck is a strict man,” defensive tackle Malo Taumua said. “He wants every little detail straightened out, and if it’s not straightened out, he’s going to get on your case. He’s very straightforward.”

Where Sanford constantly harped on players to run off the field after plays and drills, Hauck is more interested in having them run onto the field and up to the line of scrimmage.

“Take the field like you want to play!” Hauck yelled at the starting offense. Later, he yelled at the offense to “charge the line of scrimmage! Act like you want a piece of them!”

At one point, Hauck wondered aloud, “What do practices look like here?”

“When Sanford was here, he stressed getting off the field,” Taumua said. “(Hauck) wants us getting excited on the field. You’ve got to get ready to play football and get your motor going.”

Hauck came to UNLV after seven seasons at Montana, where he was 80-17 with three appearances in Football Championship Series title games. UNLV hasn’t had a winning season or bowl berth since 2000.

The Rebels got a taste of what to expect this spring when they went through winter conditioning, putting in more time running and lifting weights.

“It was way different from before,” quarterback Mike Clausen said. “They asked more of you. They got more out of us. Everybody got stronger and faster.”

But Monday was typical of a first spring practice in many ways with the emphasis on teaching. The players were not in pads, so instead of running plays in full-team drills to end practice, they concentrated on the basics of lining up.

“Any time things are all new, it’s a little bit haphazard,” Hauck said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but it was fun to be out there with the guys.”

The new part for Hauck was having several jets soaring overhead, including a London-bound 747 that seemed to block out the sun.

Hauck said the roar of the planes “was perfect because my language gets a little colorful. It drowns it out.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.