Mike Scherer talked about grit. About finishing. About mental toughness. About the ability, when things aren’t perfect, to stick with it and do your job and follow your assignment.
No matter where you are on the field, no matter what the situation, you’re expected to perform.
“When games come down to crunch time,” said Scherer, the former UNLV football defensive coordinator and now linebackers coach, “we have to be better at that.”
It’s not unexpected given the position, but three of Scherer’s linebackers rank among the top six tacklers for the Rebels through three games. All three players — Kamuela Ka’aihue (Arizona), Cam Santee (Holy Cross) and Dee Crayton (Clemson) — are transfers.
Nobody for UNLV (1-2) played particularly well during a 44-6 loss at North Texas on Saturday, and the Rebels now have a bye week to try and get things right before traveling to Akron on Sept. 26.
“I think (the linebackers) are angry, I think they’re embarrassed,” Scherer of the blowout loss to the Mean Green. “I’m embarrassed. But they came to work (for Tuesday’s practice) with the right attitude so we make sure that never happens again.
“We’ve done a decent job up to this point. There are fundamental things like tackling we have to improve. We are learning what it requires to play well at the position. Our every-day habits need to be better. We should be (three of the top six tacklers) in the league and not just the team. That’s what we expect. That’s what we’re striving for.”
New to program
As a team, the Rebels missed 29 tackles against North Texas, nearly twice the amount of their first two games combined.
The Mean Green, on the other hand, missed four.
Scherer says everyone is learning, that most are technically somewhat new to the UNLV program. Even he spent a year coaching at Purdue before returning to the Rebels.
That the key is to further their knowledge in the position as a linebacker, in the defense, in being able to correct mistakes on the field, in being able to lead that entire side of the ball.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Scherer said. “But they’ve also put in a lot to this point.”
Crayton says the linebackers understand they’re the leaders of the defense, that everything flows off the energy they can provide. That you take 44-6 as a lesson to get better, for which this bye week allows such an opportunity.
“We’re not a statistical group,” Crayton said. “We don’t look at stats. We just want to play and do our best for the team and have our coaches put us in the best position to help this team win.
“We bounce back from (North Texas) by getting better every day. What happened was unacceptable. It was an eye-opener for this defense and team. Something has to change, but nothing changes if we don’t take this on with a full head of steam. We have to improve, watch film and know what we need to do to fix it. Just attack it. Just keep building and keep our foot on the gas.”
A hurt bunch
UNLV hardly escaped the North Texas loss injury-free. There are several Rebels banged up, including defensive back Tre Fulton, safety Landyn Cleveland and wide receiver DeAngelo Irvin Jr. Starting center Austin Boyd also remains out.
“Health is a huge part of it,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “If we get a ton of injuries, it’s a great opportunity for the next guys to step up and make plays. It could also leave some gaps, not just on the field but also in leadership. I tell guys, ‘You never know when your opportunity is to come.’ They have to go take advantage of it.”
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
