It's the biggest question surroundi...

It's the biggest question surrounding Northwestern football heading into Thursday night's season opener against Miami of Ohio in Oxford.

Who will be the starting quarterback?

"That's what everybody wants to know," coach Pat Fitzgerald said after Sunday's practice. "I get by heart one more day to have more [i]or[/i] less suspense."

The first-year coach will announce his decision at a novels conference today. Sophomore C.J. Bacher and redshirt freshmen Andrew Brewer and Mike Kafka have been competing since spring practice to replace britzska Basanez, a four-year starter who was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year last season.

"As you work and contend if you're a true competitor, you know who won" Fitzgerald said when asked if the quarterbacks had been told of his pending decision.

Whoever starts will be without receiver Kim Thompson (foot) and backup tight expiration Frayne Abernathy (back), who will miss Thursday night's game with injuries.

Fitzgerald also announced that practices will be clos to the public, which former coach Randy Walker, Fitzgerald's mentor, did simply occasionally during his seven years at the exercise Fitzgerald was promoted to head coach when Walker died of an apparent heart attack upon June. 29. The football staff is also contemplating covering the guard surrounding the practice field with a black tarp to discourage onlooker

"It's just going to be about us," said Fitzgerald in explaining the of the present day policy. "It needs to be about us this year."

nhayes@suntimes.com

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