Former Hawkeye WR Clinton Solomon Has Huge Night Friday

Clinton Solomon had three touchdown catches Friday night, and seven receptions overall for 146 yards.

Alas, the ex-Iowa Hawkeye wide receiver's Wichita Wild lost 41-36 to the Omaha Beef in Omaha in the season-opener for both.

The league? Indoor Football League. Seems like a sensible enough name.

Solomon played three years for the Hawkeyes, the most recent being 2005. He had 1,864 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Good player.

He was a late training camp cut of the Chicago Bears in 2007, hooked on with Arena Football's Chicago Rush later that year, and was on the Rush's practice squad in 2008.

Now he's in a lower rung of pro football. However, it's the same rung former Coe College running back Fred Jackson clung to before he got signed by the Buffalo Bills, where he has carved out a nice niche for himself. Jackson played for the Sioux City Bandits in UIF.

Here's a story from the Wichita Eagle on Solomon finding his way to Wichita.

The box score from the Wild/Beef battle:

Wichita (0-1)......................... 6 24 0 6 - 36

At Omaha (1-0).........................14 20 0 7 - 41

• W: Clinton Solomon 39 pass from Derek Rasmussen (kick failed).

• O: Allen Burrell 2 pass from James McNear (Ricky Lebeda kick).

• O: Mike Jones 10 pass from McNear (Lebeda kick).

• W: Darius Fudge 1 run (Dylan Pohlman kick).

• O: Jones 6 pass from McNear (kick failed).

• W: Solomon 45 pass from Rasmussen (Pohlman run).

• O: R.J. Rollins 1 run (Lebeda kick).

• W: Fudge 2 run (kick blocked).

• O: Burrell 19 pass from McNear (Lebeda kick).

• W: Pohlman 28 FG.

• O: McNear 5 run (Lebeda kick).

• W: Solomon 32 pass from Rasmussen (kick blocked).

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

• RUSHING: Wichita: Fudge 13-36; Rasmussen 4-1; Riley 1-0. Omaha: Rollins 9-23; McNear 9-20; Horne 3-2; Jones 1-minus 2.

• PASSING: Wichita: Rasmussen 16-29-1-232; team 0-0-0-minus 7. Omaha: McNear 20-27-1-167; Lebeda 1-1-0-8; team 0-0-0-minus 17.

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RECEIVING: Wichita: Solomon 7-146; Cavanaugh 5-40; Riley 4-46. Omaha: Jones 8-78; Burrell 6-65; Bell 3-16; Rollins 3-8; Richardson 1-8