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Ex-NCHS quarterback Clayton's Vegas gamble pays off
All Omar Clayton had when he arrived in Las Vegas was an opportunity. There was no scholarship, meaning Clayton would pay tuition, live with his grandfather and commute to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. The former Normal Community High School star opened preseason football practice fifth on the depth chart at quarterback. There was no sixth spot. Still, Clayton had an opportunity. Former NCHS assistant coach John McIntyre saw to that, contacting newly hired UNLV offensive coordinator Todd Berry, former head coach at Illinois State, about Clayton after national letter of intent day passed in February. “Coach Mac took control of the whole situation,” Clayton said. “He set up the contact (with Berry) and sent game tape and set up my visit. He was very instrumental in me being here, and I’m thankful for it.” So is UNLV. In a matter of weeks, Clayton has gone from an obscure freshman walk-on to arguably the future of UNLV football. He earned the No. 3 spot on the depth chart during camp in August. He was elevated to No. 2 by mid-September, and last week made his first start in a 48-23 loss to Colorado State. Playing in a 35 mph wind, with gusts up to 50 mph, Clayton struggled at times, ending with three interceptions and two lost fumbles. Yet, the positives were eye-popping: 135 yards rushing and 304 yards passing. It took Clayton one start to accomplish what no one in the Rebels’ 40-year football history had done: rush for more than 100 yards and throw for more than 300 in a game. This at a school that produced former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham. “Watching the film, and not so much focusing on the score of the game, I noticed I was able to make a lot of plays, which was definitely encouraging,” said Clayton, who will start Saturday when the Rebels (2-6) play at Wyoming (4-3). “I had played before (in a reserve role), and I realized I was in a position with a lot of responsibility, so I couldn’t be nervous. I also knew I had a lot to think about, so I couldn’t be excited. I was pretty mellow, really. I just had to go out and try to perform.” Berry said Clayton handled it all “very maturely,” and pointed out two of the interceptions were not Clayton’s fault. One went through a receiver’s hands. Another came when a receiver ran the wrong route. Clayton’s 23 of 36 night included touchdowns of 56 and 7 yards. “I’m working with my receivers this week to make sure we’re on the same page,” said Clayton, one of five freshmen starters on offense. “That was a little bit of a problem last week. It was small things like when they were breaking and things like that. “That was especially true in the red zone. I had an interception down there that was returned for a touchdown. You have to be on the same page because everything happens so fast.” Clayton rated the speed of the game “a hundred times faster” than in high school, where last year he led NCHS to a 14-0 record and the Class 6A state championship. Despite passing for more than 1,100 yards and running for 600-plus, Clayton received no scholarship offers, in part because of his size (6 foot, 185 pounds). McIntyre knew Berry well from his days at ISU, and called him regarding Clayton. Berry watched tape from NCHS and from Clayton’s junior year at Plano East in Texas. Plano East operated out of the shotgun formation, and Berry was installing a shotgun spread attack at UNLV. “The thing that sold me was the Texas tape because it was a similar offense,” Berry said. “He’s really handled himself well. He understands that every snap is a precious snap and that every one is a great learning experience. “I talked to him during the game after he had the one interception returned for a touchdown. I told him, ‘That was a costly snap, but you have an opportunity to come back and make plays if you get past that moment.’ He did a good job of hitting the clear button in his mind and ended up having a productive game.” Clayton’s climb up the depth chart led UNLV head coach Mike Sanford to award him a scholarship last week. Not bad for a guy no one wanted a few months ago. “I realized the only thing I could do was keep my faith, and if I did that, good things would happen,” Clayton said of being overlooked. “At first it was stressful, but after a while I knew things would pick up. I’m very happy with how they turned out. “It (the scholarship) was a big weight off my shoulders. Being able to stay on campus and not pay tuition … I’m excited about that.” Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.
Allen, Texas wrote on Nov 1, 2007 3:31 PM:
Like a Mom wrote on Oct 25, 2007 9:07 PM:
Like wrote on Oct 25, 2007 8:53 PM:
Like a Mom wrote on Oct 25, 2007 8:52 PM:
Woohoo wrote on Oct 25, 2007 8:09 PM:
Omar's sister (tashana) wrote on Oct 25, 2007 7:24 PM:
RDBRD FN wrote on Oct 25, 2007 7:16 PM:
Runyon wrote on Oct 25, 2007 6:33 PM:
Way to go Omar wrote on Oct 25, 2007 6:26 PM:
Heisman wrote on Oct 25, 2007 4:25 PM:
kennedys mom wrote on Oct 25, 2007 4:24 PM:
O's Dad wrote on Oct 25, 2007 4:07 PM:
O's Dad wrote on Oct 25, 2007 3:56 PM:
Zig wrote on Oct 25, 2007 2:03 PM:
To: Iron Fan: wrote on Oct 25, 2007 1:20 PM:
dad hamer wrote on Oct 25, 2007 12:48 PM:
NCHS FANS wrote on Oct 25, 2007 12:30 PM:
Zach wrote on Oct 25, 2007 12:12 PM:
Hamer's Mom wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:54 AM:
bhs guy wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:22 AM:
NCHS wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:12 AM:
The truth wrote on Oct 25, 2007 10:39 AM:
Windy here wrote on Oct 25, 2007 9:47 AM:
TDOG wrote on Oct 25, 2007 9:41 AM:
Old-timer wrote on Oct 25, 2007 9:27 AM:
Great story wrote on Oct 25, 2007 9:15 AM:
Iron Fan wrote on Oct 25, 2007 8:26 AM:
Austin's Mom wrote on Oct 25, 2007 8:02 AM:
T wrote on Oct 25, 2007 7:54 AM:
WYC wrote on Oct 25, 2007 7:00 AM:
NBRSKA4 wrote on Oct 25, 2007 6:41 AM:
way to go wrote on Oct 25, 2007 4:18 AM:
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