Whitehurst's sore shoulder could keep him out

Charlie Whitehurst&#39;s sore throwing shoulder could end his 37-game streak as Clemson&#39;s starting quarterback.<br> <br> Tigers coach Tommy Bowden revealed Tuesday his senior passer has dealt with twinges of shoulder pain since the week of the Boston College game Sept. 24. Whitehurst did not throw at practice Monday. If the soreness keeps Whitehurst from significant work in prepping for Duke on Saturday, Bowden said backup Will Proctor would become Clemson&#39;s first new starter since the second half of the 2002 season.<br> <br> ``The determining factor&#39;s going to be amount of practice time,&#39;&#39; Bowden said. ``If he practices a lot, I would think his shoulder&#39;s not going to be really sore. If it&#39;s sore, then he won&#39;t practice. That&#39;s kind of the way it&#39;s been.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Whitehurst says he first felt some pain in the week leading up to the Eagles&#39; game two months ago. He&#39;s had an MRI exam, received at least one cortisone shot and is using anti-inflammatory medication, he said.<br> <br> Whitehurst said no one&#39;s sure where the pain&#39;s coming from. ``It&#39;s not the rotator cuff,&#39;&#39; he said. ``It&#39;s an inflammation, possibly a cartilage issue. It&#39;s not major.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Still, it was major enough for Whitehurst to rest his right shoulder some last week and for it to effect Clemson&#39;s 10-9 loss at Georgia Tech.<br> <br> Bowden says learning the schemes of new offensive coordinator Rob Spence is a week-to-week adventure, with various plans of attack put in for various opponents. Miss some sessions, Bowden says, and you miss working on crucial audibles and checks necessary to thrive.<br> <br> When Bowden wondered if he should go with Whitehurst against the Yellow Jackets, he thought about all the big performances and key victories he&#39;s had through the years.<br> <br> ``I went with experience, game experience,&#39;&#39; Bowden said. ``I should&#39;ve gone with practice experience. That&#39;s the lesson I learned.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Whitehurst, 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, is the son of former Green Bay Packers quarterback David Whitehurst. Charlie Whitehurst holds about three dozen Clemson records, including career passing yards and completions. His poise and talent have him targeted to follow his father in the pros.<br> <br> But the younger Whitehurst says, while surgery has been talked about, he&#39;d rather deal with the pain if it means he can help Clemson win games. ``Right now, it feels good,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I think I can play this weekend.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> If he can&#39;t, Bowden and the Tigers have confidence in Proctor, a junior who had thrown only 13 passes in his Clemson career behind Whitehurst.<br> <br> Proctor, though, proved his mettle under fire when he subbed for an woozy Whitehurst knocked on the helmet as he slid to finish a run against Texas A this season and led Clemson on its game-winning field goal drive in a 25-24 win over the Aggies.<br> <br> ``We support Will just as much as we support Charlie,&#39;&#39; Clemson center Dustin Fry said. ``It&#39;s not going to make us feel like we&#39;re behind in the game if Will&#39;s in there.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> A rest for Whitehurst might also get him healthy for Clemson&#39;s Bowden Bowl contest with Florida State in two weeks. Tommy Bowden said this week&#39;s opponent the Blue Devils are 0-6 in the league this season has nothing to do with potentially sitting Whitehurst. ``We lost to Duke last year,&#39;&#39; said Bowden, recalling the 16-13 defeat.<br> <br> Whitehurst was an inexperienced freshman in 2002 when Bowden gave him the job over team favorite Willie Simmons to spark up Clemson&#39;s offense. Whitehurst showed what he could do almost immediately when he threw for 420 yards and four TDs in a win at Duke.<br> <br> Whitehurst has been the face of Clemson&#39;s offense ever since. As a sophomore, Whitehurst helped the team turn around a sluggish season with victories over top 10 teams Florida State and, in the Peach Bowl, Tennessee.<br> <br> Under the guidance of a new offensive coordinator, Whitehurst was confident he could close his career in style. He&#39;s hopeful to make a mark down the stretch. ``It&#39;s not what you envision,&#39;&#39; Whitehurst said. ``But it&#39;s the card that&#39;s been dealt. We&#39;ll see what happens.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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