You hate to see an injury like this, man. Early in the second quarter of the Music City Bowl between Kentucky and Northwestern, Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson suffered an apparent leg injury after he caught a pass on a trick pass-back play.
Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson carted off field with apparent leg injury during Music City Bowl
Just awful stuff to see.
He was down for a few minutes before the cart came out to take him onto the locker room. Both sides were comforting Thorson, which was a nice thing to see.
The good news is that Thorson came out in the second half on crutches to be on the sidelines with his team, so hopefully that’s at least a slightly positive sign.
Thorson, a junior, threw for 2,809 and 15 touchdowns this season, and of course it’s tough for any team to lose their starting quarterback to an injury like this. Now the Wildcats will turn to back-up signal caller matt Altivi, who is a senior who came to Northwestern as a former four-star recruit, but his career hasn’t quite panned out as planned:
After playing in four games as a freshman, Alviti appeared in just two as a sophomore, attempting three passes. He didn’t record a rushing attempt on the season.
“Growing up, being a competitor, it sucks man,” Alviti said. “It was real tough.”
The team had gone 10-3 with Thorson at the helm in 2015, so a quarterback change wasn’t coming, save for an injury. After a frustrating season, Alviti also needed two hip surgeries.
Alviti credits his teammates for helping him get through those difficult individual times, but it took a great degree of mental fortitude on his part too. He came to Northwestern with NFL dreams, and those were slipping away quickly.
All the while, he continued to grind, both to improve his craft and to be a good teammate. He was discontented, but he was in no way a problem. The team was winning, and Alviti was Thorson’s biggest supporter.
”I think there’s few men like Matt Alviti,” Pat Fitzgerald said. “Other guys you have seen in his situation have typically transferred. He has stuck it out, he’s been patient. I think he’s learned a lot. I think his willingness to stay committed to his teammates, stay committed to the program, to see it through, not being happy. Trust me, he’s not satisfied with his role.”
Best of luck to Thorson, and hopefully he can come back from the injury next season. Northwester is currently leading Kentucky 10-3.
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