Clausen wins Rebels’ QB derby

Many first-year coaches might have taken the easy route -- especially when preparing to open the season against a ranked opponent -- and handed the quarterback job to the senior with 23 starts.

Not Bobby Hauck.

UNLV's coach has said all along that those who perform best in practice will be rewarded -- and he wasn't kidding.

The Rebels named junior Mike Clausen the starting quarterback for Saturday's opener against No. 12 Wisconsin at Sam Boyd Stadium. Hauck said he and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rob Phenicie reached the decision Sunday.

It was a tough call, Hauck said, because the statistics "were almost identical" for Clausen and senior Omar Clayton.

"Mike had a slight upper hand," Hauck said. "With that being said, I anticipate Omar Clayton will play a substantial number of snaps this year. Every guy on our team knows they've got to keep performing and competing in order to maintain their starting position."

Clausen has played in 21 career games, starting four. His only start last season was at UNR, a 63-28 loss in which he passed for 276 yards and a touchdown.

For his career, Clausen has completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 1,230 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

"I'm not going out there wide-eyed and not knowing what to expect," he said.

Clayton was No. 1 on the depth chart after spring practice and appeared to be in the driver's seat after Clausen injured his left ankle a week into training camp and sat out two days.

But Clausen came back and finished strong, and coaches gave him extra work when he returned to ensure the quarterbacks received an equal number of snaps in camp to show what they could do.

"I took it as an eye opener," Clausen said of his injury and missed practice time. "This game can be taken away at any point in time. With the reps you have and the time you have to play, you definitely have to make use of it."

While acknowledging that he was disappointed, Clayton said he wouldn't let the news negatively affect him.

"I don't think that would be good for me and the rest of my team," Clayton said. "I'm still coming out to practice, and I'll still suit up on Saturday. So if I'm going to play on Saturday, I want to go out and perform like I normally would and practice as well as I can and expect to get better."

Redshirt freshman Caleb Herring is the No. 3 quarterback.

Quarterback was the most high-profile position decided, but not the only one.

-- Senior Channing Trotter will start at running back. But the Rebels will probably use a three- or four-back rotation throughout the season, so junior C.J. Cox and redshirt freshman Bradley Randle will also play and perhaps freshman Tim Cornett.

-- Junior B.J. Bell will start at defensive end ahead of senior Preston Brooks.

-- Right cornerback hasn't been decided between senior Quinton Pointer and junior Deante Purvis.

-- Freshman Nolan Kohorst, who went to Green Valley, will handle field goals and extra points. Senior Ben Jaekle, who went to Bonanza, will take care of kickoffs. Senior Brendon Lamers is the punter.

Hauck said he plans to use a two-deep rotation on defense.

■ NOTES -- Senior offensive tackle Matt Murphy, who has been wearing a protective boot on his left foot, might not play. If Murphy doesn't play, sophomore Yusef Rodgers will start. ... Plenty of tickets remain for Saturday's game, but athletic director Jim Livengood said he was hopeful of a sellout. The poor economy has cut down on the number of Wisconsin fans making the trip. The four previous meetings here were sellouts.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.