Clemson’s Deshaun Watson shines in return from ACL tear
Deshaun Watson was nearly flawless in his return to the field after a season-ending ACL tear ended his freshman year early.
The Clemson Tigers will go as far as sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson will take them and after seeing him look healthy n the 49-10 win over Wofford, that could be pretty far.
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Watson suffered through a series of injuries as a freshman before ultimately being lost for the year with a torn ACL but when he was on the field, he looked like the next superstar quarterback in college football. Had he qualified with enough attempts, Watson’s 188.6 quarterback rating would have led the nation.
Much of the conversation surrounding Clemson in the offseason was if they were a legit contender to unseat Florida State as the team to beat in the ACC and if Watson could stay healthy all year to get them to the College Football Playoff.
Beating Wofford doesn’t answer any of those questions, but seeing him complete 18-of-22 passes for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns should give Clemson fans a nice sigh of relief to see their franchise quarterback look so sharp.
He should only get better as the season goes on provided he stays healthy which will be a concern every time Watson steps on the field. But Clemson has another star player they need to be concerned about after leading receiver Mike Williams left on a stretcher with a neck injury in the first quarter.
Williams was moving his extremities after running into the goal post while coming down with the first touchdown of the season but it’s unknown when he’ll be able to return to action.
In the meantime, Watson will have to rely more on Artavis Scott, Ray-Ray McCloud and Deon Cain and as long as Watson is under center, Clemson could be favored in every game and he may find himself in New York for the Heisman ceremony in December.
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