Clemson QB Deshaun Watson will dress out against Wake Forest
Clemson will have quarterback Deshaun Watson back in uniform against Wake Forest on Thursday.
Coach Dabo Swinney said that Watson, who has been out with a broken bone in his hand, will dress out and warm up. However, senior Cole Stoudt will still be the starter. Watson will be available if Clemson really wanted to use him, however.
“Just depends on what’s going on in the game,” Swinney said. “If we just had to have him to win the game. He’ll be dressed and ready to go. May be the most watched pre-game in college football.”
While the game is at Wake Forest, The Demon Deacons are 2-6, so there’s a decent chance that Clemson won’t have to rely on Watson at all. And it’s probably what Swinney is counting on.
However, it’s also clear that Clemson’s offense hasn’t been what it was with Watson under center as Stoudt has been the starter. Watson replaced Stoudt as the starter after a loss to Florida State and in his first two games as a starter Clemson scored 50 and 41 points in wins over North Carolina and North Carolina State.
Watson was hurt against Louisville on October 11 and Stoudt became the Tigers’ QB again. While Clemson has gone 3-0 since the N.C. State game, it scored 23 points against Louisville, 17 against Boston College and 16 two weeks ago against Syracuse.
If Watson is fully healthy, it’s not a large assumption to see him start against Georgia Tech on November 15. His completion percentage is four points higher than Stoudt’s and his yards per attempt is more than four yards greater. While Clemson’s defense is very good, it can’t keep carrying the majority of the load forever.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a great challenge. We certainly felt Louisville was an excellent defense, Florida State was an excellent defense,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said last week. “You look at Clemson’s numbers, especially looking at the teams they’ve played and had to defend, it’s even that much more impressive. This is going to be a very challenging matchup, especially for our guys up front. We’re glad we have a little extra time to prepare, get our guys maybe a little bit of rest this week. But it’s going to be a challenge making first downs against these guys.”
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com
For more Wake Forest news, visit DeaconsIllustrated.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
