Photo credit: Mike Dixon, Vegas Sports Today
In pursuit of a runner-up finish in the Mountain West last season, UNLV ran one of the fastest offenses in college football. This year, the team wants to go faster.
In the first year of UNLV’s new coaching staff, the team ran one of the most efficient offenses in the nation averaging 67.3 plays per game.
For offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, he wants to see more plays this year under his “go-go” style of playcalling. That said, the Rebels offensive line is looking to keep up with the rest of the team.
“Our offense was successful last year, and we want to go faster this year,” said offensive line coach Vance Vice.
Vice said that Marion’s offense is looking to run 90 plays per game, which would be 11 more than the University of South Florida, who led the nation in plays per game last year with 79.
Even though offensive linemen are known for not moving the quickest, Vice is hoping the buy-in by the guys will contribute to the offense.
“We want to go tempo and push the pace. It’s tough to tell a big guy to sprint to the other end and get set up, but maybe the defense will be less ready,” Vice said. “They know it was successful last year and we want to be faster than last year.”
The preparation to play a full 12-game regular season plus potential postseason starts now during fall camp for Vice’s offensive line. The Rebels’ line will be led by Tiger Shanks and Jack Hasz, who are returning to the team this season.
Both Shanks and Hasz suited up for all 14 games last season and are looking to do the same this year.
“Putting in the work with Coach (Jeff) Fish in the weight room and the training staff helped me go 14 games. It is much needed with the recovery that we do,” Shanks said. “Without it, I don’t think I would have been able to play 14 games.”
For Marion and Vice, if one of the team’s starters goes down, there is not much to worry about. The Rebels opened fall camp with 20 offensive linemen on the roster.
“I’ve never been through a season where all five guys play every snap in a season. We’re going to have depth right now and compared to where we were last year we’re way ahead of that,” Vice said.
Starting with a deep and experienced offensive line, fans can expect an even more explosive offense than last year’s team.
