Beard can't crack starting lineup

But he'll still get plenty of reps.

The biggest challenger, guard Austin Long, broke a bone in his right hand, setting him back. But he could play Tuesday against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, offensive line coach Will Friend said.

“We’re pretty much kind of stayed where it was at,” Friend said. “We’ve had good practices and had some good competition. There has been some up and down with it, but no, we’ll probably go with what we did toward the end of the year.”

Friend said that backup offensive tackle Mark Beard “will play a bunch.” Friend said that Long practiced well before his injury and “I was looking forward to playing him a good bit in this game.”