Clayton Thorson announced last month he will return to Northwestern for the 2018 season, but preparations for that season have become much more difficult. Northwestern announced Tuesday that Thorson suffered a torn ACL in the No. 21 Wildcats’ 24-23 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl on Friday.
Thorson exited the game after leading a touchdown drive early in the second quarter, with Northwestern leading 10-7. He completed 4-of-8 passes for 35 yards and was sacked twice. Matt Alviti nursed the game home, completing 4-of-11 throws for 50 yards, while Justin Jackson carried the load with 32 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
The junior finished his season hitting 60.4 percent of his throws for 2,844 yards (6.6 per attempt) with 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He is the winningest quarterback in Northwestern history, and his 44 touchdown passes are a school record.
In a release, Northwestern said Thorson will spend the next two or three weeks in prehab with the anticipation of going under the knife in mid-January.
