Illini prepping Clayton for first game as starter
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 23—CHAMPAIGN — Michael Clayton II experienced a different kind of bye week last week than his starting quarterback predecessors at Illinois.
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Those midseason weeks without a game were essentially off weeks for the likes of Tommy DeVito and Luke Altmyer. Time to rest their bodies — and their arms.
That's how Illinois would have treated Katin Houser last week, too, had he not broken his hand in the third quarter at Michigan State on Oct. 10.
Clayton finished that game, leading Illinois to a 38-37 overtime victory. Then it was straight to a different kind of bye week with three days of practice before preparation for Saturday's game against Oregon got a Sunday jump-start.
"Sometimes those guys can afford to take a rest and recover their bodies and arms a little bit," Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said about the way the Illini have approached bye weeks for their previous starting quarterbacks.
But not for Clayton.
"We poured on more steam from a repetition standpoint," Lunney continued. "I thought he handled it pretty well."
Clayton will make his first career start for Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Oregon (4-2, 2-1) at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Everything about this week will be different for the 6-foot-4, 205-pound freshman compared to the first six weeks of the season.
Clayton used to prepare as if he might be needed. Now, the Orlando native has to prepare knowing he's going to be needed as the starter.
It's also different for Lunney. The fifth-year offensive coordinator has to build a game plan around Clayton for the first time. That's accomplished through a series of conversations this week, figuring out what Clayton will be comfortable with running the offense Saturday at Gies Memorial Stadium and what might need to take a backseat after the change in QB1.
"All of a sudden, he's thrust in the forefront of those conversations instead of Katin," Lunney said. "He's been in the shadows of those conversations and meetings, but now, it's about him and what he's familiar with. If we can get him prepared and keep him comfortable, then I'm confident he'll be able to handle it."
Clayton didn't have time to overthink his situation when he was thrust into the game to replace Houser in East Lansing, Mich. He just played, completing 6 of 8 for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including what turned out to be the winner in overtime to Hudson Clement.
Keeping his first full game week as starter as simple as possible is the goal.
"I think the main thing for Michael is to just try and focus on the daily process that it takes to get yourself prepared to play for Saturday," Illinois pass game coordinator Mike Neu said. "Obviously, it's been nice to have a bye week coming out of that Michigan State game to get some extra work last week."
There will be no shortage of available help for Clayton as he steps into a starting role. Quarterbacks coach Art Sitkowski runs the room, but both Lunney and Neu have held that title during their careers and remain involved in Illinois' quarterback development process.
There's also Houser. The fifth-year quarterback might be unavailable to play following his injury and subsequent surgery that will sideline him 4-6 weeks, but he's still a resource for his freshman teammate.
"The experience Katin had, you can't replace that when you're a young quarterback," Neu said. Houser is in his fifth season overall and fourth as a starter after starting seven games at Michigan State in 2023 and 19 across two seasons at East Carolina.
"He's tried to soak up, as all the quarterbacks have, all the knowledge from Katin he can," Neu continued about Clayton. "It's all about preparation, and Katin's got great preparation habits, great practice habits. Those guys have been able to see that, and they've tried to pattern their game after that as well."
Clayton left an impression on his teammates for how he handled himself in the win at Michigan State. Actions that built on what the Illini already knew about the freshman quarterback given his efforts during spring practice as an early enrollee, throughout summer workouts and into fall training camp and the first six weeks of the season.
"Seeing how poised he was in the huddle and leading us in the huddle as a freshman was really encouraging for all of us," Illinois tight end Kaden Feagin said. "We saw it weeks before in practice with him. He knows what he's doing. I don't think we really have to change much because he's such a focused kid and knows what he's doing."
While the Illinois offense might not change much with Clayton at quarterback, his teammates still intend to take as much off his shoulders as possible.
Starting right guard Brandon Henderson said it would be little things like the offensive line hurrying to the line of scrimmage and listening in the huddle that could make a difference.
"Small things like that, so he doesn't have much to think about," Henderson said. "So, it's just getting in the huddle, getting the play and playing ball."