STRENGTHS · UNLV hasn’t had a winning season since the turn of the century, and while it seems unlikely that trend ends in 2007, most folks figure the Rebels will be better.

Quarterback Rocky Hinds spent most of 2006 banged up, unable to live up to his potential. The transfer from Southern California threw for 2,148 yards and eight touch-downs.

His top targets were Mountain West freshman of the year Ryan Wolfe, who caught 55 passes for a MWC freshman record 911 yards, and Casey Flair. He led the league in receptions with 67. They had a combined nine touch-down receptions.

New offensive coordinator Todd Berry, who held that position for the Miami Hurricanes last year, promises better results.

WEAKNESS · Like a lot of teams in the small conferences, UNLV was not very good defensively last season. The Rebels finished last in the league in scoring defense and total defense, yielding 31.8 points and 387.3 yards a game.

Senior linebacker Beau Bell had 76 tackles in seven games, before a sprained ankle ended his season. Defensive end Jeremy Geathers is another talented prospect. He had 9.5 tackles for loss and returned a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown. Still, the Rebels are weak on this side of the football overall.