The Clemson Tigers may be without starting quarterback DeShaun Watson for an extended period of time after the true freshman suffered a broken right throwing hand during Saturday’s 23-17 win over the Louisville Cardinals. After the game, Watson was seen outside the locker room with a cast extending just beyond his wrist- an obvious sign of the severity of the injury. The Tigers’ Twitter account, @ClemsonTigerNet, verified fans’ worst fears.
“DeShaun Watson just emerged from the locker room and his entire right hand (past the wrist) in a cast,” they tweeted.
Watson will have surgery Monday and is expected to sit out at least five weeks. His replacement Cole Stoudt struggled mightily against the top ranked Cardinals pass defense throwing for just 162 yards and an interception in three plus quarters of work. However, he still managed to guide the Tigers to a much-needed home victory.
Through five games, Watson had thrown for 1181 yards, 12 touchdowns and just one interception since taking over for the fifth year starter, Stoudt, in week three. Watson, the number one ranked dual-threat quarterback in 2014 recruiting class, validated his ranking through the early goings of the season, posting strong numbers along the board.
Over the next few weeks, the Tigers have a rather favorable schedule that should allow the team to remain in the ACC title hunt even without their star quarterback. They face only one ranked team over their final six games and hold a 4-2, 3-1 record overall.
*Section Photo credit to Bart Boatwright, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to CUTigers.com
