Top-ranked Nebraska may know today whether quarterback Tommie Frazier is fit enough to start when the Cornhuskers play for the national title against third-ranked Miami on Jan. 1 in the Orange Bowl.
Frazier, out since Sept. 24 with a blood clot in his right leg, will participate in a contact scrimmage in Miami.
Coach Tom Osborne probably won't announce whether Frazier or Brook Berringer will start until a few days before the game, but he'll have a better idea after the scrimmage. Nebraska flew to Florida from Lincoln on Friday.
"If I go out and prove to the coaches I'm ready to play and prove I know what I'm doing, then if they say I'm going to be the starter, I'm going to be happy," Frazier said. "If they say that I'm not ready enough for them to start, but I will be able to play, I'll be happy with that. I'm not here to start any quarterback controversies before a national championship game."
While there might not be controversy, there's certainly a question, and it could become a distraction as the Cornhuskers try to end their seven-bowl losing streak.
Frazier, a junior, is considered the more explosive offensive player. But Berringer pulled his team together and led it to its biggest victory, a 24-7 rout of Colorado on Oct. 31.
"I feel like I deserve to be the starter as much as Tommie deserves a chance to come back," said Berringer. "I feel like I've filled in and done a pretty good job."
The players seem comfortable with either quarterback. "It doesn't matter who is quarterback," said defensive back and receiver Jay Foreman. "We can get the job done."
Osborne has said he'll probably use both quarterbacks against the Hurricanes, who have the No. 1-ranked defense in the nation.
But Osborne, who isn't used to having many psychological advantages in the Orange Bowl, can force the Hurricanes to prepare for both players by delaying his announcement until the kickoff is closer.
"We have more quarterbacks than we had in the middle of the year," he joked. "We'll evaluate [Frazier] and we'll evaluate Brook and see who we think is best prepared to play."
The Cornhuskers did not wait to start preparing for Miami, holding a light practice with half pads shortly after arrival in Florida.
"We started out pretty stiff," fullback Cory Schlesinger said. "But I thought we warmed up at the end of practice. It was a good practice."