Clayton Thorson has Torn ACL
Northwestern is a road opponent next year, guys next up are a walk-on (the son of Trent Green) and a RS Freshman. Thorson had been getting NFL hype but had decided to come back for his fifth year.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:43 PM ^
1. Thorson will be well healed by the time of our game with them next year.
2. Thorson is only getting NFL hype from the same people that gave Mitch Leidner NFL hype
3. Stop worrying about the daunting confines of Ryan Field in hostile and rabid Evanston, IL, people. Jesus.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:44 PM ^
3. Indeed. More UM fans at NW games than NW fans. Away/Home game!
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:47 PM ^
If this one was a worry game for us, what did people have us doing next year? 5-7? 6-6?
Sheiza!
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:48 PM ^
Seriously - I don't get the consternation over this game when people fret about next year's "tough" schedule. We've won 5 straight games over NW, 3 straight in Evanston, and have lost to them only 2 times in the last 20 years.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:02 PM ^
I'm pretty sure they won't next year, but they were setting up to be more than solid again.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:07 PM ^
They've hit that 10 game mark a few times under Fitzgerald and we beat them all the same. They also got smoked by Duke, went to OT with a horrible Nebraska team, and almost lost to a Kentucky team that lost to Florida this year. We would've had at least 10 wins playing their schedule as well. Northwestern will not give us trouble next year.
January 2nd, 2018 at 6:45 PM ^
Northwestern went 3-0 (!) in overtime this year. And that's not counting the bowl where UK passed up the chance at OT. They weren't exactly a typical 10-win team.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:38 PM ^
It's gotta be fear of karmic retribution for M00N and the other yakety sax wins.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:57 PM ^
We play NW on September 29th. 9 months for a full recovery is a very aggressive timeline for an ACL. Not impossible, of course, but it would certainly a quicker recovery than normal.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:04 PM ^
NW is a private school nestled on the golden shores of northern Chicagoland, after all.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:59 PM ^
It's a nine-12 month recovery, typically. We play NW at the end of September, and the article notes that the surgery is still a couple of weeks out, which puts Thorson returning at the very early portion of that recovery. Jake Butt just lost his first NFL season to the same injury. He might well decide to take a medical RS, which I'm sure would be given.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:03 PM ^
Athletes are getting back on the field after an ACL tear in 5 months (the absolute fastest) nowadays. Thorson will be back throwing by the summer and will be good to go by fall camp with a brace on the knee. Remember that Jake Butt also came back from his first ACL tear in 6 months to play against Notre Dame in the second game of that same year. ACL recovery keeps getting shorter and shorter and is no longer over 9 months. Thorson will be healthy by August.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:10 PM ^
Just because one person has a superhuman recovery doesn't mean everyone will. We'll see. I know I wouldn't expect him for their opener with Purdue.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:12 PM ^
But that's the thing - 6 months may have been extraordinary in 2010, but is no longer exceptional for ACL recovery, it's commonplace in 2017/8. Add in the fact that Northwestern has excellent medical facilities and I'd bet a large sum of money that he starts the opener.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:11 PM ^
I'd listen to what this Dr. has to say. Word is he has a magnum dong.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:13 PM ^
I can tell you that Thorson does not have the AIDs big time, so he should return to the field soon.
January 2nd, 2018 at 7:20 PM ^
Holy crap! I know we aren't necessarily set up to be a top 5 team next year, but worrying about who will be the starting QB at NW next year and how it will impact us!? Man, you'd think we were a MAC team. I think we have got NW under control.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:48 PM ^
Who?
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:49 PM ^
He will have the game of his career against us..BET ON IT
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
While playing on crutches.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:50 PM ^
Sorry to hear, never wish for an injury for anyone. Should make them less dynamic next season, but who knows maybe a young qb will play well for them.
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:49 PM ^
Whomever they play will play better than every QB that played for us this year. To early?
January 2nd, 2018 at 4:50 PM ^
This is going to be a long off-season
January 2nd, 2018 at 6:22 PM ^
I can't wait till every offseason story about Michigan has "hot seat" in it. I wish this Bama-UGA game would just happen already so we can get to the offseason
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:26 PM ^
I’m sure whoever steps in for him will have a coming out party and will be in the Heisman race after they play us.
January 2nd, 2018 at 6:02 PM ^
This injury happened because the QB Thorson caught a pass, one of those reverse throw back to QB plays. This was another of Fitz's less then brilliant decisions in that bowl game, he seemed to be trying to lose.
January 3rd, 2018 at 9:50 AM ^
Fitz had some really boneheaded decisions in that game, but I don't think it's fair to pin that injury on him, or to criticize the play call. First, that play got them something like 20 yards and put them, I think, inside the Kentucky 5, so it definitely worked as a play call. Second, I'm not sure you can argue that acting as a receiver puts a QB at an inherently greater risk of injury than standing in the pocket and throwing a pass, especially when the play design virtually eliminates the chance for a big hit at the time of the catch. He could have just as easily torn an ACL while scrambling any other time during the game.
January 2nd, 2018 at 8:41 PM ^
6-6 is about right. The play selection and game planning were the worst this year and could continue without massive changes.
Our second half scoring in the 5 losses is clear proof of the gross incompetance - 23 total points in 10 quarters - that was a cruel joke played on alums and fans.
January 2nd, 2018 at 8:59 PM ^
I did not realize we were that pathetic. 2.3 points per quarter in second half against any team with a pulse. Sound of expectations headed south....
January 2nd, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
Who cares, its Clayton Thorson and its NW and even if they're better than us we'll get our usual NW/IU luck and beat them anyway.