The Clemson Tigers faced the South Carolina Gamecocks in their annual rivalry week showdown with QB Deshaun Watson at the helm. The Tigers beat the Gamecocks 35-17, and Watson threw for 269 yards and 2 TDs. After the game, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney made a startling announcement. Watson had actually torn his ACL in practice last week. That’s pretty incredible.
To understand how incredible it is for Watson to be able to do this, you have to realize that the ACL is one of the four main ligaments in the knee. Most importantly, it’s the primary stabilizer. It’s needed for rotational movement, so basically an ACL tear inhibits the ability of an athlete to cut and change direction.
Watson played with a brace. In fact, the brace was so tight during the game today that Watson’s calf was going to sleep on him. Watson is also expected to play in the Tigers bowl game. I’m not sure the extent of Watson’s ACL tear, but I would be interested in seeing exactly how Clemson team doctors arranged the brace for him.
Deshaun Watson played today with a torn ACL suffered in practice two days before the Georgia State game, Dabo Swinney said.
— Larry Williams (@LarryWilliamsTI) November 29, 2014