NIU's quarterback decision on hold

And the winner of the Northern Illinois quarterback competition is - to be determined.

"There won't be any decisions made until Saturday," first-year Huskies coach Jerry Kill said Tuesday. "Until I know how Danny's going to be, and it's a day-by-day basis."

Senior Dan Nicholson, who started the first nine games in 2007 before suffering a season-ending injury, and redshirt freshman Chandler Harnish are the candidates to start the opener at Minnesota (6 p.m., Big Ten Network).

Nicholson underwent shoulder surgery during the off-season and said he felt strong early, but he needed a break midway through camp as his throwing shoulder adjusted to his first string of practices since last fall.

"He had a really good day on Sunday," Kill said. "We threw him a lot. We didn't back off of him at all."