Key to UNLV’s breakthrough bowl season

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Tim Hauck didn’t need to be informed about UNLV’s defensive woes. Ever since his older brother, Bobby, took over the program, Hauck had been following along closely. He even dug through the history book.

“Defense here has not been good ever since the program started,” Hauck said.

A couple of days after the Cleveland Browns cut Hauck, along with the entire coaching staff, Hauck accepted his brother’s offer to come to Las Vegas and try to change that.

There are a lot of reasons UNLV was able to break through for a 7-5 season and only the fourth bowl game in history. It’s possible none are more important than Hauck and Timm Rosenbach joining the staff as coordinators.

Both guys have NFL experience — Hauck played defensive back for six teams and Rosenbach led two organizations at quarterback — and Hauck was also on two NFL staffs. In their first year, the improvements on both side of the ball were drastic, and though it’s debatable how much credit to give each guy, it’s clear they made an impact.

“It’s crazy how a bunch of little things can actually make a big difference,” senior defensive tackle Tyler Gaston said.

On the practice field, in the film room and on game days, the defensive players seemed to enjoy being around Hauck. He can yell just as good as the next guy, but Hauck was also “relentlessly positive,” according to Gaston.

Read more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/dec/18/1st-year-coordinators-may-be-key-unlvs-breakthroug/