Dan Mullen Sets Physical Tone At UNLV Football Scrimmage

The UNLV Rebels football team had their second scrimmage on Friday. New head coach Dan Mullen spoke about a number of things he saw in the scrimmage, including what he expects from his offense. It sounds like he wants to play smash mouth football and take what the defense gives him by checking the ball down with his quarterbacks and punching them in the mouth with multiple running backs.

“I want clean football,” Mullen said. “They came out today with a kind of serious approach. There was a lot of energy, but they did their job.”

“I’ve been on the quarterbacks not to constantly force the ball downfield. One of the hardest things to learn is to check the ball down. They pay guys a lot of money in the NFL to check the ball down. I was happy today to see us not forcing the ball into coverage as much ... I’ve had years with three running backs who all went to the NFL. I’ve had some with one to two who spent all their time in the ice bath. It’s great to have depth and rotate guys and keep them fresh and healthy for a whole season.”

While he is an offensive-minded head coach, he, of course, also has to focus on the other side of the ball. On defense, it sounds like Mullen again wants intensity and to punch his opponents in the mouth.

“I want 11 guys running to the ball as fast as we can,” he said. “We’re going to be extremely aggressive and come after people. Take away what you do well and make you uncomfortable... Everyone says we’re a spread offense. Well, sometimes we run and sometimes we throw. It’s not about certain blitzes (defensively). It’s about 11 guys showing up and hitting the ball carrier with a nasty mindset.”

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