For the second time in fall practices, the UNLV defense was forced to watch a defensive starter leave the fields at Rebel Park with a dislocated elbow.
And for the second time, the loss leaves quite a sting.
In the early phases of Wednesday evening's practice - the team's first day back from its training camp in Ely - senior lineman Jacob Hales suffered the injury to his left arm, forcing him into a sling for the rest of the night.
"The good thing was it went right back into place," coach Mike Sanford said following practice. "The doctor was here, he put it back into place. (Jacob) had feeling in the hand, and he has a pulse in the hand, so those are good signs. Hopefully he didn't break anything. We'll kind of play it by ear as to how long it will be."
Hales will have x-rays on the wound early Thursday morning, determining just how long he'll be missing from battle.
The Rebels have already lucked out once in terms of further inspection on a dislocated elbow this fall. Sophomore cornerback Quinton Pointer suffered the same injury on the second day of camp while landing from a collision in pass coverage drills. He suffered no broken bones or damaged ligaments, which made his projected time in street clothes 2-4 weeks.
"The good thing about it is I would say it's a temporary setback," Sanford said. "He's gonna come back, so that's good. When he comes back, we don't know."
Hales, a fifth-year senior, finished up his course requirements over the summer, leaving him with nothing to focus on this fall besides the Rebels' 12-game schedule. The Las Vegas High product started 11 games a year ago, registering 36 tackles and three sacks. He had stepped up so far this fall as the emotional leader for the Rebels on the D-line.
He was practicing Tuesday as the defense's black shirt representative, worn each day by one offensive and one defensive player, recognizing outstanding performance in the previous day's workouts.
Eppenger back
Junior defensive lineman Perry Eppenger - a Cheyenne High grad - was back on the practice field for the Rebels Wednesday after being sent home from Ely over the weekend. He was ordered back to Las Vegas after breaking unspecified team rules. He's back to competing for a spot as a backup lineman.
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