After rough start, Clayton confident he can turn senior season around

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.

In 2008, his two remaining years of eligibility brought high hopes for UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton.

During a 5-7 campaign, he threw for 1,894 yards, 18 touchdowns and only four interceptions in nine games, with his season getting cut short by a knee injury. Operating a shotgun spread offense that he was groomed to run, he was comfortable.

Then, 2009 brought some more injury troubles and inconsistencies. Despite strong offensive output, Mike Sanford and his staff couldn't get the defense up to snuff, and the program's leadership changed.

Now, 2010 has welcomed him to a whole new world.

"I kind of went into the season not knowing what to expect, to be honest," Clayton said. "I guess that's good that I wasn't expecting anything specifically, because things have been a little all over the place the past few weeks."

Close friend Mike Clausen — who has since moved to safety — won the right to start the Rebels' opener against Wisconsin but lasted just a little more than a half in that saddle. Clayton started the next two games and was lifted for redshirt freshman Caleb Herring in the third quarter of last Saturday's 30-7 loss at Idaho.

Clayton was 3-of-8 for 41 yards to that point and under consistent pressure from the defense in one of the toughest nights of his UNLV career.

"I understood completely what coach wanted to do, and that's not a problem for me," Clayton said of the move, as Hauck saw it as a prime opportunity to get the program's quarterback of the future some seasoning. "It wasn't an issue at all."

Through three games, Clayton has completed just 27 of 61 pass attempts (44.2 percent) after entering the season with a career 59.8 completion percentage. He hasn't been intercepted, but the offense has struggled to sustain long drives while working within the framework of a new, more balanced scheme.

"Last year, I'd been doing the same thing for three years (in the shotgun spread)," he said. "This is my fourth game into a new season with a new coaching staff and a new offense. That's not an excuse, that's just the reality of the situation. I've just got to keep the focus that while we are still building and growing as an offense and stuff like that, I've just got to take what (defenses) give me. You can't force things or press it in a game."

He'll get to continue that growth process as a starter.

Hauck was quick to state after the loss last weekend that Clayton would get the nod this Saturday when the Rebels (0-3 overall, 0-1 Mountain West) return home to square off with league cellar dweller New Mexico (0-3, 0-1).

If history is any indication, Clayton has a good chance to right his personal ship against the Lobos.

His only shot against New Mexico came last season in a 34-17 UNLV victory in Albuquerque, where he went 20-of-30 for 204 yards, a pair of scores and no picks against a struggling defense.

This time around, the Lobos' defense is struggling even more. In three blowout losses, they've faced three teams — Oregon, Texas Tech and Utah — who are destined for major postseason berths but have still allowed an alarming 60 points per game.

Clayton isn't the only one who could use a pick-me-up within the UNLV offense, though.

The offensive line has had a tough go of it, allowing 12 sacks in three games. Also, the new focus on establishing a ground game hasn't gone so well, as the team is only averaging 91 yards per game the old-fashioned way and 2.6 yards per carry.

Vegas oddsmakers have set the Rebels as a 10-point favorite, but UNLV's players and coaches are right in acknowledging that they are in no position to overlook New Mexico.

"We're struggling, ourselves, as a team," Clayton said. "We're not averaging enough points a game, we're not scoring enough touchdowns, and we're not doing enough things right to win games. I wouldn't put our team over theirs in any form or facet. They're going to come to win a game, and so are we."

It is worth noting that Clayton deserves credit for still sounding the part of a leader following both his and the team's lackluster start.

Several outsiders have already tapped 2010 as a rebuilding year, but Clayton said that if the team adapts that outlook, things can only get worse.

"You won't hear anybody in a team meeting — any coach or player — consider this to be a rebuilding year or anything like that," he said. "I think when you say that, you're allowing yourself to think that losing is part of what we're trying to do or it's just going to happen. And nobody has that mindset."

Weekly Injury Report

On Tuesday, UNLV released its weekly injury report with statuses listed for Saturday's game ...

Out: DB Courtney Bridget (arm), LB Beau Orth (back), DB Quinton Pointer (leg), RB Imari Thompson (foot), OL Shane Watterson (leg).

Doubtful: RB C.J. Cox (arm).

Questionable: WR Mark Barefield (leg), DB Alex De Giacomo (leg), TE Anthony Vidal (leg), TE/HB Kyle Watkins (leg), FB/LS Anthony White (leg), OL DOug Zismann (leg).

Probable: RB Bradley Randle (arm).