COLLEGE FOOTBALL ’94 / MISSION CONFERENCE : Off-Season Training Keeps Him on Run : Football: OCC running back Clayton trying to improve his quickness and prevent another injury.

Jeff Clayton knows he’s running faster this year than last. He has seen plenty of evidence. He’s getting to holes quicker and able to pull away from defenders who were catching him a season ago.

But don’t ask for any proof such as a 40-yard dash time. Clayton cringes at the mention of the race, necessary information to most recruiters at four-year colleges.

His reluctance to race isn’t because he’s trying to hide anything.

Instead, he’s trying to prevent something--another hamstring injury.

Clayton had a standout freshman season for OCC. Then in drills last spring, he strained his leg seriously running a 40. He didn’t run another one until attending a scouting camp in the summer. But he hurt his leg again running the 40.

“Maybe the (stop) watch is what has me jinxed,” Clayton said. “I don’t like it anymore.”

Clayton, from Trabuco Hills High, is fortunate in that he doesn’t need a sprint time to get the attention of recruiters. His freshman season serves that purpose nicely.

He gained 1,442 yards in 11 games last season, a single-season record at OCC. Clayton ended his freshman season by gaining 240 yards as Orange Coast beat Antelope Valley in the Simple Green Orange County Bowl. He rushed for more than 100 yards in seven games.

Bill Workman, the OCC coach, isn’t in any hurry to make Clayton run for a time either.

“He gained a lot of yards last year, I know he’s fast enough,” Workman said. “I just don’t need to find out exactly how fast he is and injure him.”

Clayton devoted his off-season to getting stronger and faster.

Because the leg injury prevented him from running hard, he spent his time improving his technique. He has been training for about a month with Kevin McNair, a speed specialist who has worked with the Raiders and Angels.

“He told me I have too much bounce,” Clayton said. “We’ve worked a lot on that and my overall form.”

Clayton was motivated to work so hard in the off-season partly because of his new role.

When he first came to OCC in 1992, he spent the year as a redshirt but worked out with the team each week impersonating each opponent’s best running back.

Last season, Clayton was a freshman starter on a team dominated by sophomores, including a talented offensive line that opened many holes.

Still, things didn’t begin as smoothly as he had hoped. He fumbled twice in the first game, against Mt. San Antonio, and was sent to the bench in the second half.

“He just didn’t know what was going on yet,” Workman said. Clayton didn’t spend his time sitting on the bench pouting. He stood next to Workman on the sideline waiting, and Clayton was soon returned to the lineup.

This season, Clayton is one of two returning starters on the offense that played a significant role last season.

He is well aware that his offensive line won’t be able to open holes with the ease of last year’s unit.

To this end, Clayton worked in the off-season to get stronger in order to survive the hits he figures to take, and faster, to help avoid some hits.

He trained hard to the point of it becoming an addiction. Clayton said he replaced about 10 pounds of flab with muscle and hopes to play this season at about 200 pounds.

“At first I planned on working out three or four days a week,” he said. “But it became so addictive I started going five, then six days a week to lift weights and run. But I got so into it, I had to make myself take a day off each week.”