No word on Clemson quarterback

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Posted 7:01PM on Tuesday, November 8, 2005

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) It's too early to know if Clemson's all-time passing leader will start the biggest game of the season. Tigers coach Tommy Bowden says he'll wait until after practices Tuesday and Wednesday before deciding if fifth-year senior Charlie Whitehurst will start his final home game when No. 17 Florida State comes to Death Valley on Saturday. Whitehurst's 37-game starting streak ended last Saturday because of continuing pain in his throwing shoulder. Whitehurst stood on the sidelines as junior backup Will Proctor led Clemson (5-4, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a 49-20 victory over Duke. Bowden said if Whitehurst works with the offense and comes out with minimal pain, he'll be under center for the seventh Bowden Bowl against the Seminoles and Tommy's national championship dad, Bobby. Whitehurst has set more than three dozen school records and has a 22-15 mark since taking over the starter's job midway through the 2002 season. If he can't go, Proctor would make his second straight start. ``I think just common sense would tell you, the guy that's beaten Florida State, Miami, Tennessee,'' Bowden said, referring to Whitehurst, has the edge over Proctor. Not that Proctor didn't give everyone something to think about with his strong performance against the Blue Devils. Proctor threw two touchdown passes to Chansi Stuckey, the conference's receptions leader, and ran for a third score in Clemson's rout. ``Going in there, anticipating that you're going to start, the anxiety, and then actually going out there and performing, I think, does wonders for your confidence,'' Bowden said. ``If he's got more, then it's better for the staff. We felt like he would perform that way, and he surely has worked to perform that way.'' Whitehurst said after the Duke win he anticipated starting against Florida State. He practiced Monday and came out with less pain and discomfit than he had in some time. ``I made a couple of throws I hadn't made in a while,'' Whitehurst said. It could be hard keeping Whitehurst from this one. He has shown throughout his Clemson career the ability to sustain injuries and keep going. Only weeks ago along the sidelines at North Carolina State, center Dustin Fry recalled thinking Whitehurst was cramping when he discovered that his quarterback's big toe kept popping from it's socket. ``That's painful stuff,'' Fry said Whitehurst didn't miss a snap in Clemson's 31-10 victory. Whitehurst, though, says the decision on his status won't be left up to him. Once the coaches ask him how he feels and Whitehurst says, ``I'm fine'' the quarterback is out of it. ``It's not a pain thing, it's a performance thing,'' Whitehurst said. Fry said Whitehurst is working as hard as possible to get the shoulder in shape. When Fry drives to work out at 6 a.m., Whitehurst's car is already there, the center says. Whitehurst receives heat treatments to loosen up his shoulder, which he thinks he injured sometime during practice for the Boston College game Sept. 24. ``I don't think I can hurt my shoulder any more than it already is,'' Whitehurst said. ``Yeah, I want to play.'' One of Whitehurst's top performances came in this game two years ago in similar circumstances. The Tigers were a game from bowl-eligibility at 5-4 when then third-ranked Florida State came to town. Whitehurst threw for 272 yards to lead Clemson to the 26-10 victory, son Tommy's first and so far, only win over father Bobby. Whitehurst, second this season in ACC passing average at 224.2 yards a game, is bothered his final season is blurred by the injury. ``It's frustrating,'' he said. ``But what can you do?'' For Bowden, the only thing left is to decide if Whitehurst is healthy enough to make one last Death Valley start. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)