He might know Thursday when they usually begin scripting plays. Said he doesn’t know yet.
And even if he did, why in the world would he say?
Keep ’em guessing is right.
UNLV football and coach Dan Mullen open their season against Memphis on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium and it’s still unknown who will start at quarterback for the Rebels.
This much we are sure of: Both returner Alex Orji and Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold will play.
“I don’t even know our first play yet,” Mullen said. “I’m looking for everything out of them. It’s game week. There are so many little adjustments the quarterbacks have to make this week. They’ve been going against the same rush for so long. There’s so much that goes into the scheme this week.
“Everyone gets so caught up in who’s starting. Well, if we start in a five-wide receiver set, (star running back) Jet Thomas doesn’t start. Is that going to blow everybody’s mind? Jet Thomas is not a starter. He’ll play at some point.”
Austin Boyd might know the quarterbacks as well as anyone as the team’s new center.
“They’ve both done a really good job,” Boyd said. “They have a little bit different cadence, a little bit different rhythm. They’ve done a good job getting with me before and after practice and getting reps in. They both bring a lot to the table. I’ll be excited for whoever is playing. They’re both going to do a really good job.”
Jake Pope as a starting safety has seen a different angle of the two quarterbacks while defending them in practice.
“They’re both great, both very mobile, both can throw the ball very, very well,” Pope said. “Both captains of the offense. I expect them both to play very well and really help us out. It’s better to have two than one always. Excited to see both go out there and do their thing.”
Here come the Tigers
It has been said often: Memphis is much like UNLV was last season. A team with a majority of its roster overturned and a new coaching staff.
Charles Huff is the new head coach after arriving from Southern Mississippi.
“The one thing about college football now is you can throw out last year in a lot of places,” Mullen said. “You see the polls and Indiana isn’t No. 1. I don’t know why. I always think the defending champion should be No. 1.
“We were coming off an 11-win season last year. However, you have 80 new players and a whole new coaching staff so it didn’t carry over. A lot of the (Memphis) guys come from Southern Mississippi and all over the place. Kind of a whole new program. They’re going to bring a lot of juice and energy.”
And, most likely, speed.
Kevin Decker is the Memphis offensive coordinator who arrives from Old Dominion. If he follows a pattern, Memphis is going to spread UNLV out and try to create numbers and matchups all over the field.
‘We need to prepare for tempo because they’ll want to go super fast,” Mullen said. “They have some big, fast, explosive wide receivers. They’re pretty big at the line of scrimmage and they have some backs who can hit the home run.
“We don’t know who their quarterback will be but we’ve spent a lot of time studying the Old Dominion film and preparing for (Decker’s) style and what he’s going to bring. But even though he’s a really good football coach, he’ll adjust to the players he has this year instead of last year.”
An emotional feel
Mullen was asked Monday what he wants to see most out of his team early in the game Saturday.
“I want to see us handle the situation and the adjustments and the speed of the game,” he said. “The game is going to happen fast out there and you feel it. It has a different emotional feel during the course of a game, both offensively and defensively. I want to see us handle the emotional roller-coaster that occurs.
“It’s game week. We’re ready to go. It’s an exciting week for our program and team and school and Rebel fans everywhere and the city of Las Vegas.”
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
