UNLV QB Clayton out with torn MCL

Sam Morris

UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton heads off the field on crutches after losing to TCU.

By Ryan Greene (contact)

Published Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 | 12:30 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 | 8:45 p.m.

Sam Morris

UNLV quarterback Mike Clausen trips over himself before being dropped for a loss during the second half of the game against TCU on Saturday.

There's good news and bad news for UNLV sophomore quarterback Omar Clayton on the heels of a right knee injury he sustained in Saturday's 44-14 loss to TCU.

The good? No surgery will be required to repair the damage. Even more good? His breakout 2008 season may have not seen its final snap on Saturday.

But the bad? He suffered a torn MCL, the school announced Tuesday. The typical rehabilitation timetable for a torn MCL is 2-6 weeks. The reason no surgery is needed, as opposed to fixing an ACL tear, is that the MCL is a self-healing ligament.

Clayton came out to Tuesday's practice in a sweatshirt and shorts with a brace around his right knee. He walked gingerly out to the fields at Rebel Park without crutches.

"I guess anytime you don't have to have surgery, it's a good thing," Clayton said. "It's positive news. It's not the greatest news, but it's not bad news. (The doctors) told me what was up, and that's all I needed to know, that I don't need surgery."

The Rebels (3-6 overall, 0-5 Mountain West) face 4-6 New Mexico at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. The following Thursday they will host Wyoming at 6 p.m., and the regular season finale comes on Nov. 22 at San Diego State. UNLV's final three opponents have a combined record of 8-22. The Rebels can still attain bowl eligibility by winning out.

With that said, Clayton knows it isn't a lock that his season is finished. He's planning on keeping that mindset over the next few weeks, though he also said he doesn't want to rush back before his knee is healed.

"There's a chance that I might be able to play at the very end of the season," he said. "This is still my team whether I'm hurt or not, so I'm definitely going to be as much a part of it as I can.

"There's nothing I can do about it besides rehab. It's nobody's fault. I play football, and it's just part of playing football, people get injured."

Clayton on the season is 152-of-258 for 1,894 yards, with 18 touchdown passes to just four interceptions.

As for Clausen, he entered Saturday's game after Clayton was knocked out, and completed just three of nine passes for 22 yards under intense pressure from TCU's defense which ranks second in the nation. But he's been effective in other appearances, including the previous week when he rushed for two short touchdowns and threw for 30 yards in a 42-35 loss to BYU. He also took snaps against Utah and Arizona State earlier this season.

"I think just the fact that Mike has played and we've prepared him and put him in games, I think this is what he's looking forward to," Sanford said. "That's why you play college football - To play. I expect Mike to play well.

"We're gonna do what we do, and we're gonna do waht Mike knows and what he can do. I would say there's a few things we'll do that are specific to Mike and his strengths, but we're gonna run the whole offense."

Clausen is just as confident going into his first career start as Sanford is in him. He signed with UNLV two years ago out of John W. North High in Riverside, Calif., expecting to one day be the Rebels' starter. While he certainly couldn't have expected that chance to come this way, it doesn't change his focus.

"Big opportunity, just to show that I can come out here and perform when I'm called upon, and just take it as my opportunity to show myself what I came here to do," said Clausen, who's thrown for 110 yards this year. "I'll take some more (practice) reps than I did before, but to me, same mindset, same everything, just try to get that chemistry between me and the No. 1 receivers."

One receiver with whom he's already established a nice connection is true freshman Phillip Payne. The Western High grade became a favorite target of Clausen's back in August during training camp while snaps with the first team were being split between the two QBs.

Payne said there won't be much difference in the receivers' eyes in terms of clicking with a lefthanded quarterback as opposed to Clayton, who throws with his right. He did add, though, that on fade passes - Payne's forte - the ball travels through the air a bit differently out of Clausen's hand.

"When it hangs, if it's on the left, it'll start on a different line and come back to where it started," he said.

But if there are adjustments to be made, they'd better come quickly, as Clausen's being put under the gun to run an offense with losing being nowhere close to a viable option. The Rebels still have a shot at bowl eligibility, entering their final three games at 3-6. To secure a bid, UNLV would more than likely need to not only win out, but also have Colorado State drop two of its final three games.

"I try not to think about that," Clausen said of the situation. "It just adds more to the table. I'll just go out there and play to win."