UNLV football notebook: Staying healthy no longer a concern for Clayton

By Ryan Greene

Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.

Sam Morris

UNLV starting quarterback Omar Clayton watches the game against TCU after injuring his knee on Nov. 1, 2008.

Sure, being given the title of starting quarterback on the first day of fall camp last year was great and all for then-sophomore Omar Clayton.

But aside from helping the Rebels right the ship following four consecutive 2-10 seasons, he also put a hefty value on simply staying healthy for an entire season.

As a freshman, his season was cut short when he broke his hand during his third career start after working his way up from the No. 5 spot on the depth chart at the start of fall camp.

Last year, he missed the final three games with a torn MCL in his right knee -- a freak injury suffered on Nov. 1 against TCU.

This year, health is nowhere on his mind, as the junior QB has seen first-hand what can happen at any given moment.

"You can't do anything if you take a shot to the knee -- Nobody can," Clayton said. "I think more pride comes from the way I perform or the way I play or the way I lead the team. So first and foremost, we want to win games."

With staying healthy not on the brain, Clayton for the second straight fall also doesn't have to worry about fighting for his job, as that is safe, too.

Clayton is the Rebels' clear-cut No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart, and is coming off of a 2008 season where he finished with 1,894 yards, 18 TDs and mere 4 interceptions.

In other words, in his mind, things couldn't be better.

"I don't really think I can be more comfortable than I already am, especially as close as our team is -- We're a tight-knit group," Clayton added. "Me, already being in my position, I feel comfortable, which helps with my job because that's not another outside pressure.

"I'm very comfortable right now, so all I have to do is perform."

CONTRIBUTED ART

The Nike Destroyer turf shoe.

It's gotta be the shoes?

Following Friday morning's practice, senior linebacker Jason Beauchamp and a few other UNLV veterans joked about soaking their feet.

Why?

Well, it's the shoes.

The Rebels aren't ditching the traditional cleats for games this fall, but for practices out at Rebel Park, they already have.

Instead, the team is wearing special Nike turf shoes -- the Destroyer model -- which features shorter, abbreviated rubber spikes on the soles, providing players with better traction and support on artificial surfaces.

"In unstable shoes that don't have great support, on turf, you'll have a lot of foot injuries, and we've had a history of that," Rebels coach Mike Sanford said. "Broken bones, stress fractures, real serious stuff."

While the shoes might be safer in the long run, they're taking some getting used to for the players.

Beauchamp, who cracked a joke by saying 'They're called the Destroyer, because they destroy your toes,' said that the shoes are causing blisters for players, since their feet slide more and don't grab as much ground when they cut and move laterally.

"Nike recommends that you wear these shoes on turf," Sanford said. "They're gonna have some blister issues for awhile, but they'll get better."

Sam Morris

UNLV linebacker Starr Fuimaono takes down Utah State quarterback Sean Setzer during the first half at Sam Boyd Stadium in last season's opener.

Fuimaono feelin' good

Junior linebacker Starr Fuimaono, who shredded his left knee on kick coverage in last season's second game at Utah, feels as though he has come full circle.

"It's feeling good the past two days," said Fuimaono, who also missed all of spring camp. "The hardest part for me is just getting the plays and everything."

Now he's trying to fit in in what's considered the strongest group UNLV has on the defensive side of the ball.

Fuimaono had 14 tackles in less than two full games last season, which came on the heels of a 68-tackle showing over nine games in 2007. He also had four tackles for loss as a sophomore.

Now he joins Beauchamp, who led the Mountain West in tackles a year ago, along with up-and-comers in Ronnie Paulo and Nate Carter, who stepped up in his absence in 2008.

"The linebacking corps can be really strong," he said. "Now that I'm back, I've just got to prove to them that I still have it."

The Sanford Poll

Mike Sanford didn't want to reveal his entire top-25 poll submission, but had no problem admitting a few things -- including his vote for Florida as the nation's No. 1 team in the first USA Today Coaches Poll.

In the initial poll, the defending national champs garnered 53 of a possible 59 first-place votes.

So it's confirmed that the lone first-place nod for Southern Cal did not come from Sanford, who both played and coached for the Trojans.

"I have a lot of allegiance to (Florida coach Urban Meyer), too," Sanford said. "SC is my alma mater, but I did vote Florida number one."

Sanford, of course, worked as an assistant for Meyer at Utah.

The Mountain West has three teams in the first poll, with TCU -- the league's heavy favorite -- at No. 17, Utah at No. 18 and BYU at No. 24.

"I did vote for all three Mountain West Conference teams," he said. "I voted them a little higher than what they ended up, but it was good to see that they all made it in."

The weekend schedule

The Scarlet team -- comprised mostly of veterans -- practices from 8:45 to 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, while the Gray team goes from 6:00 to 7:55 p.m. at Rebel Park.

Sunday, the entire team will practice together for the first time from 6:00 to 8:05 p.m.

On Monday, the Rebels go live in full pads for the first time from 8:45 to 11:00 a.m. That will be the team's final practice before it leaves on Tuesday morning for a week in Ely.