UNLV enters the 2011 season looking to make improvements in Bobby Hauck's second season at the helm. The Rebels went 2-11 in 2010, including a 2-6 mark in the Mountain West Conference.

Base Offense: Multiple
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/5

• A new season at UNLV meant another quarterback battle. For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, the Rebels head into the season with a new starting quarterback after Caleb Herring was named to top of the depth chart on Aug. 21. A redshirt sophomore, Herring played in eight games in 2010, completing 28 of his 56 passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions.

• Herring's top target will likely be senior wide receiver Phillip Payne. A preseason first-team All-Mountain West selection by Phil Steele, Payne led the Rebels last season with 40 catches for 689 yards and five touchdowns. He sits 12th all-time at UNLV with 127 career receptions for 1,786 yards. In addition, his 19 career touchdowns rank fourth in program history and he needs just six scores in 2011 to break the school record.

• The offense as a whole needs to right the ship after struggling mightily in 2010. The Rebels ranked 98th or worse (out of 120 FBS teams) in all four major offensive categories, finishing 98th in passing offense, 109th in the rushing offense, 110th in scoring offense and 118th in total offense. Six starters return in 2011 to try to bring continuity.

Rebels to Watch  #4 | Phillip Payne  Wide Receiver  Senior | 6-3 | 205  #8 | Caleb Herring  Quarterback  Sophomore | 6-3 | 190 2010: 40 Rec., 689 Yds, 5 TD Career: 127 Rec., 1786 Yds, 19 TD 2010: 28-56, 365 Yds, 4 TD, 3 INT Career: 28-56, 365 Yds, 4 TD, 3 INT

Base Defense: 4-3
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/7

• The UNLV defense is looking to reverse a three-year trend that has seen the unit rank near the bottom in the FBS. After finishing 2007 with the 62nd-ranked defense, UNLV ranked 103rd in 2008, 115th in 2009 and 109th in 2010. It's an uphill battle though as the team must replace seven starters from a year ago, and it loses its top four tacklers from a year ago.

• Senior cornerback Quinton Pointer is hoping to make up for lost time in 2011. After starting each of his first three years on campus, Pointer missed all but one play of the 2010 season with an injury. Granted a medical hardship waiver, Pointer is looking to make good on the preseason prognostications that named him second-team preseason all-conference.

• Helping Pointer in the secondary is senior Will Chandler who led the team in 2010 and was tied for the conference lead with five interceptions. It was Chandler who returned an interception for a score against the Badgers in last year's season-opener. Heading into 2011, Chandler was named preseason first-team All-MW by Phil Steele, Sporting News and Lindy's.

Rebels to Watch  #10 | Quinton Pointer  Cornerback  Senior | 5-10 | 185  #92 | B.J. Bell  Defensive End  Senior | 6-2 | 260 2010: 1 Game, 1 Tackle Career: 167 Tkl, 4 Int, 12 PBU 2010: 29 Tkl, 3.5 TFL, 1 Sack Career: 31 Tkl, 3.5 TFL, 1 Sack

Second Season  •  Montana, 1988  •  2-11 at UNLV
Bobby Hauck enters his second season as head coach of the Rebels after guiding the team through the toughest schedule in school history. UNLV, which finished 2-11 overall and 2-6 in the Mountain West, faced five conference champions and three opponents that finished ranked in the top 11 of the final AP poll. The schedule doesn't get much easier in 2011 as four of the Rebels' 12 opponents finished in the top 11 of the AP poll a year ago.

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