Orlando, Fla. – It’s a tale of two quarterbacks, one whose college career is ending on a happy note and the other who is facing uncertainty.
Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst is finishing a race of recovery from injury and will be ready to play Tuesday in the 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. 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 stellar Clemson 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 the record-setting Klatt not cleared to practice, Buffaloes interim coach Mike Hankwitz announced Friday that James Cox would be the starter.
“His symptoms are getting better, but he hasn’t been cleared,” Hankwitz said of Klatt. “If he does get cleared, we’ll have him available for spot duty, but James Cox is going to start. James is our man.”
Klatt hasn’t given up on getting into the game.
“I’m going to continue to strive for being available,” he said. “That’s all I can do. I wanted to play in this game very badly. With the practice schedule, they couldn’t wait any longer. We’ll see how it goes the next couple of days.”
Whitehurst hates to see a fellow competitor have to sit out.
“I feel sorry for him,” Whitehurst said of Klatt. “You’d like to see him play his last game just as I want to. I know what concussions are like. Physically and mentally you feel ready to go. It becomes a precautionary deal and that’s even more frustrating.”
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is well aware what the loss of Klatt could mean to the Buffaloes.
“To have your best opportunity to be successful, it’s best to have your first-team players available,” Bowden said. “Charlie’s been awfully impressive for four years. I think the team would like to see him finish on a positive note because he’s accomplished an awful lot for Clemson. I would think the offensive line would like to protect him and the defense would want to get him the ball as often as they could.”
Hankwitz said missing Klatt’s experience will be a big factor.
“It’s an advantage for them, but that’s the way football is,” Hankwitz said. “There always are going to be injuries. It’s not a matter of who plays, but how well they play.”
Whitehurst said he never had a second thought about having surgery. He just knew he didn’t want to attempt to play in the bowl game at less than 100 percent.
“It’s never any fun to be playing under your potential,” he said. “You try to make up for lack of arm strength. It’s never fun to perform at under 100 percent.”
Even with the shoulder problems, Whitehurst completed 208-of-311 passes for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns this season and also ran for two scores.
“He’s throwing the ball pretty well, and he hasn’t complained about any soreness from the minor surgery he had,” Bowden said.
Klatt threw for 2,696 yards as a senior with 14 touchdown passes and didn’t miss a game.
“He (Whitehurst) gets to go out there one more time and sling it around,” Klatt said. “That’s what all of us quarterbacks love to do. I envy him and wish I could do the same thing. There isn’t a timetable that can be put on head injuries.
“They could set a timetable with his injury and he did a terrific job working to get back.”
Whitehurst is viewed as a better pro prospect than Klatt and could help his chances in front of NFL scouts with a strong game Tuesday.
“I think it’s important that (Whitehurst) plays well, as with all of our other seniors who are interested in going into the NFL,” Bowden said. “When you start jockeying for position in the middle to late first round and early second round of the NFL draft, your last performance is pretty important.”
Footnotes
Tryouts are underway to see who will play Santa Claus at the Buffs’ team dinner tonight. Defensive tackle John Guydon could be tapped for the job. “He’s a leading candidate,” Hankwitz said of the 6-foot-2, 285-pound senior. “He fills out the suit pretty well, and he’s always pretty jovial.” … Hankwitz said the Buffs will practice today. “That’s part of being in a bowl game,” he said.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
