ORLANDO, Fla. — It's a tale of two quarterbacks, one whose career is ending on a happy note and another who is facing uncertainty.
Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst is finishing a race of recovery from injury and is ready to play in Tuesday's Champs Sports Bowl. Meanwhile, Colorado's Joel Klatt remains on the sideline.
So goes the tug of war between the competitive spirit of senior quarterbacks facing limitations of the body. Whitehurst put his chances of playing in the game on the line when he underwent surgery Dec. 1 on his right shoulder. He won the gamble.
"I think there was a risk, but the doctors were pretty confident I could play in this game," Whitehurst said. "I thought, why not do something with the surgery sooner rather than later. I waited about a week after the season, thinking it would get better. I felt like it wasn't getting any better. "I wanted to play another game and hopefully play well for myself, for Clemson and for our fans," he said. "If I can play well and help myself down the road, that would be good."
While the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Whitehurst is aiming to close out his prestigious collegiate career with a bang, Klatt remains unable to practice while trying to recover from a concussion suffered in the Big 12 championship game against Texas.
With Klatt not cleared to practice, interim head coach Mike Hankwitz announced Friday that James Cox will start.
"If he does get cleared, we'll have him available for spot duty, but James Cox is going to start," Hankwitz said.