And now we know at least a part of the reason why Dabo Swinney was insistent on playing two quarterbacks from the get-go.
Kelly Bryant, who has started the first three games of the 2018 season, went down very late in the first half of the Georgia Southern game with what appeared to be some type of upper-body injury. As he headed into the halftime locker room, Swinney told ESPN‘s sideline reporter on the game that Bryant was breathing heavy but couldn’t give any specifics as to the nature of the injury.
Following the game, a 38-7 win for the Tigers, Swinney revealed that Bryant’s “heart was racing and they checked it out with an EKG machine and he should be fine,” TigerNet.com wrote. Both of Clemson’s co-offensive coordinators, Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott, told reporters that Bryant had sustained a chest bruise.
There’s been no official confirmation of Bryant’s injury and there’s no word on his status for the Week 4 matchup with undefeated Syracuse.
With Bryant sidelined for the remainder of the game, true freshman Trevor Lawrence took over for most of the rest of the non-conference contest. The five-star 2018 signee, who again received a handful of meaningful series even when Bryant was healthy, completed 12-of-19 passes for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That was Lawrence’s first interception in 42 career attempts.
Bryant went 7-10 for 68 yards and a pick prior to the injury.