Clemson QB Deshaun Watson faced South Carolina with torn ACL
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said that quarterback Deshaun Watson played in Saturday's 35-17 win over South Carolina with a partially torn ACL.
Watson may be available for the Tigers' bowl game and have surgery in the offseason. He will reportedly miss spring practice before returning for summer workouts.
Watson missed last week's win over Georgia State after suffering what the school said was a sprained LCL and a bone bruise during a Nov. 15 loss to Georgia Tech. Watson reportedly suffered the partial ACL tear a couple of days before the win over the Panthers.
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The Tigers announced on Saturday that Watson would start against the Gamecocks. In the win, Watson completed 14 of his 19 pass attempts for 269 yards and two touchdowns while adding 13 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Watson briefly left the game with an apparent injury but started the second half.
Prior to the Georgia Tech Loss, Watson had not played since he broke a bone in his throwing hand in an Oct. 11 win over Louisville.
Watson entered Saturday having passed for 1,197 yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He was rated the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2014 by Rivals.com.
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Stoudt began the season as the starter after beating out Watson in a position battle but lost the job after a strong showing from Watson in a Sept. 20 loss at Florida State.
Clemson (9-3, 6-2 ACC) is ranked 21st in the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. The Tigers had lost five consecutive games against South Carolina (6-6, 3-5 SEC).
- Chris Johnson
