Watson suffered a left knee injury against Georgia Tech on November 15 but the school said that he suffered a bone bruise and sprained LCL. The torn ACL, according to coach Dabo Swinney, happened in preparation for Clemson's game against Georgia State on November 22 as Watson went down during a drill in practice.
An MRI the next day revealed a torn ACL. Watson played in the win over South Carolina with a brace on his left knee.
"That brace was his ACL in this game," Swinney said via TigerIllustrated.com.
Watson was 14-of-19 for 269 yards and two touchdowns against the Gamecocks. He also had two rushing touchdowns on five carries. He left the game briefly early but returned.
Swinney also said the plan is for Watson, who also suffered a broken bone in his hand earlier in the season, to play in the Tigers' bowl game before he has surgery. The month layoff between games will allow Watson's LCL to heal fully but isn't nearly enough time for the ACL to heal.
It's also fair to question whether or not Watson should have been playing against South Carolina in the first place. Yes, playing with a torn ACL is not unheard of, but Watson, a freshman, has been Clemson's most dynamic player and will be for two or three more years. While he may not be able to do more damage to the ACL, he's apparently suffered injuries to two of the three main ligaments in his knee in a short timeframe.
The succeeding instability makes him a less effective and explosive player and any overcompensation can increase the risk of further injury.
But from Watson's perspective, he clearly wanted to play. And from Clemson's, well, the offense with a hobbled Watson is still much better than it is with Cole Stoudt under center. The difference in Clemson's offense with the two quarterbacks is incredibly clear, and the team clearly felt Watson gave it the best chance to win.
And ultimately, Clemson was right as the Tigers beat the Gamecocks for the first time since 2008. And hopefully Watson won't be injured further before the ACL is fixed after the season.
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Deshaun Watson played against South Carolina with torn ACL
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