--FOOTBALL1992
One last shot
Senior quarterback ready for starting, season battle
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter__
Just give Mike Grant one last — and very
sweet — trip back to Florida.
That would mean two things to the fifth
year senior: First, Nebraska would be playing
in the Orange Bowl. And second, Grant
would have been the man to get them there.
Grant, currently in a battle with redshirt
freshman Tony Vcland for Nebraska’s top
quarterback position, is ready to lake over
the starting job after several years on the
sidelines.
Grant said his competition with Veland to
lead the Huskers this season will flush out
the better quarterback in time for the season
opener against Utah.
“I think it’s a plus for us, because if
you’re out there, you’ve earned it,” Vcland
said.
Grant redshirted last year while seniors
Keithcn McCanl, Mickey Joseph and Tom
Haase were competing for the starling quar
terback position.
But Grant said he should be ready for the
upcoming season after working hard over the
summer.
“1 basically tried to motivate myself to get
here no matter what every day,” Grant said.
“Even if I was the only quarterback to make
it, I was going to make it.”
A broken collarbone that he sustained
halfway through spring practice made
returning difficult for Grant.
He said he wouldn’t know if his injury had
completely healed until he was hit on the
football field.
“As far as strength, I am 100 percent,”
Grant said. “I’m still waiting to sec how it
feels after I get banged on it.”
Grant is no stranger to injury. He suffered
a shoulder separation as Gerry Gdowski’s
backup in 1989 as well as a bruised knee as
Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 1990.
Grant said that although he is the most
experienced quarterback returning, he thinks
the competition has helped him.
“Youf team knows you went through the
competition, so that’s added motivation for
you,” Grant said. “I always know that the
competition is great, and that’s the way it
should be.”
He said his assets that should help him
this year included “my experience, my height
and I like to throw the ball when I can.”
Veland is listed with Grant on top of the
depth chart, and Grant said he and the
redshirt freshman want to help the squad win,
no matter who is running the Husker offense.
“I don’t feel any threat by Tony, and I’m
sure Tony doesn’t feel any threat by me,”
Grant said. “We work with each other, and
it’s obvious we want the best guy on the field
to play the game.”
Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne
said that if Grant is his starter, he will need
to accomplish a couple of things.
"The big thing right now is consistency at
quarterback, and secondly, you look for a
guy who can go out there and make the
plays,” Osborne said.
Osborne said he hoped that cither Grant or
Veland could meet the requirements neces
sary to be a winning quarterback.
“To win 11 or 12 games, you’d belter
have a guy who himself is a pretty outstand
ing player,” Osborne said.
Grant said although it was important for
him to gel the starling nod at quarterback, he
still had other priorities besides football.
“It means a lot to me, but there’s a lot
more to me than football,” Grant said. “I like
to play and be a part of the program, but if
things would not go right, I think I’m able to
walk away from the game happy.”
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Cornhusker quarterback Mike Grant, right, gets his picture taken with
redshirt freshman Brook Berringer, left, and senior Joel Cornwell, kneel
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