Notebook: Freak injury cuts Clausen’s day short in Ely

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 | 2 a.m.

ELY — UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck does not like to talk about injuries.

However, he didn't need to do much explaining on the one suffered by junior quarterback Mike Clausen late in Friday's afternoon practice in Ely.

Clausen, who it appears is currently jockeying for position with redshirt freshman Caleb Herring for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind incumbent senior starter Omar Clayton, went down during an 11-on-11 drill after his left foot was stepped on.

On the play, junior B.J. Bell led a heavy pass rush off of the left edge, and as Clausen began to succumb before the whistle was blown, he dropped the football and fell to the ground, clutching his lower leg.

He was tended to for several minutes before being carted off of the field.

Hauck stopped to talk with Clausen for a minute during the drill but said he had no knowledge of the severity of the injury or whether it was the foot or ankle that was hurt.

Meanwhile, Clayton took the brunt of the snaps with the No. 1 offensive unit on Friday. Hauck, however, said that there's not much to read into it.

"That's just today's practice," he said. "By the time we make a decision (on an opening day starter), the reps will be very even."

Added Clayton: "It was beneficial. The more reps you get, the better. When you don't get a lot of snaps, you can't get better at what you're doing.

"I don't know anything (of the QB competition). When coach makes a decision, I think everyone will know."

From an observer's viewpoint, Clayton has appeared to be the most comfortable of the three signal callers so far with the new, more balanced offense.

More injury news

A trio of Rebels donned the blue jerseys and sat out of the brunt of Friday's session.

Redshirt freshman safety John Therrell, who left Thursday's afternoon practice complaining of a splitting headache, was out of action.

Both sophomore receiver Mark Barefield (knee) and redshirt freshman cornerback Cedric Coleman (ankle) began the practice as full participants, but left midway through.

Sullivan showing consistency

One of the team's more consistent receivers so far in the fall camp has been freshman Marcus Sullivan, who many local UNLV fans might remember as a standout at Cheyenne High two years ago.

Sullivan, who grayshirted in 2009 due to academic reasons, was last seen in a game on Nov. 15, 2008, when his super-human performance nearly helped the Desert Shields upset Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Regional semifinals.

He made the most of his year away from the game, working out with his former Cheyenne teammates, and now is turning some heads with his speed and increasingly sharp route running.

"I feel comfortable with it," he said. "What that year did for me ... it was just another off-season. I was getting stronger and getting ready."

He projects to be a receiver in the mold of current UNLV junior Michael Johnson, who in the past two seasons the former coaching staff tried to get the ball to near the line of scrimmage and in space so that he could hit top speed quickly and work some magic.

"He has done a lot of good things, including in spring practice," Hauck said. "He's a pretty dynamic player with the football. He has big-play potential. He plays really hard; he's an avid blocker. If he can get to the point where he's got a great understanding of the offense and is a more consistent player, he could be a big-time player for us."