Clausen gets 2nd chance
Tennessee quarterback Rick Clausen has spent most of his football career waiting to play. Not anymore.
He stood in line behind his older brother, Casey, in high school. Then he waited at LSU, and he’s been biding his time at Tennessee.
It looked like Clausen was in for a longer wait after he and C. J. Leak were demoted and freshmen Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer were named co-starters in the preseason.
Suddenly, Clausen’s wait was over when Ainge separated his right shoulder last week. Schaeffer broke his collarbone in the prior game.
Clausen played the second half of No. 15 Tennessee’s 17-13 loss to Notre Dame.
“If somebody goes down you’re expected to go in there and perform just like the first team guy was. I took that as a challenge on myself that when my number is called to go in there and perform to the best of my ability,” Clausen said. “That’s something that I’ve had to deal with ever since high school.”
He’s preparing during this off week to lead the Volunteers (7-2) through the rest of the regular season against Vanderbilt and Kentucky and possibly the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 4, coach Phillip Fulmer said.
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