Kelly Bryant on head injury: "I was knocked out for a little second"

Bryant says he was knocked out on this play (Photo by Rich Barnes, USA Today)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Oct 23 14:04:34 GMT-04:00 2017

CLEMSON – Kelly Bryant expects to start Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

Bryant was slammed into the ground on a tackle late in the first half of Clemson’s 27-24 loss at Syracuse. Bryant was laying on the ground for several minutes before being helped off the field and held out in concussion protocol. Bryant was seen hobbling for much of the game before the hit, playing on a gimpy ankle after suffering an injury against Wake Forest the week before.

Bryant walked into Monday’s media session in the Poe Indoor Practice Facility with a big smile, said he missed talking to the media last week and updated his health status.

“It's been a long season so far, and we're right in the middle of it. Health-wise, I feel back to normal,” Bryant said. “Nothing is really bothering me. The ankle is feeling good; it's feeling better than it was feeling last week. But I am still going through treatment to get it right by Saturday.”

Bryant said he felt like it was the right call to play him against Syracuse.

“I felt good going into the game,” Bryant said. “But it got in the game situation, and I feel like I tweaked it a little bit. It was just one of those things, where you hate it happened. You learn from it and just try to get my ankle back one hundred percent.”

He then suffered a concussion after being slammed to the turf, a hit he deemed “scary.”

“I hit my head really bad. It was unfortunate,” Bryant said. “I got my head hit on the turf and was knocked out for a little second, then regained consciousness. That's probably the biggest hit I've taken in my career. It's scary, just looking at it. I was watching little clips of it and just me laying there. I was like, 'Man, I was getting some good sleep.' It was scary, but it's something to be aware of going forward.”

Bryant went into concussion protocol but says he feels like he can play Saturday.

“Just different tests the doctors had me going through, just to make sure everything is right with me and trying not to rush it and take it one day at a time,” he said. But that's the plan (to get ready to start on Saturday).

“I didn't practice last week, but the coaches had me right there with the offense and going through the game plan and that I knew what was going on and what to prepare for and the adjustments that were going on and we would be making.”

Bryant said he hopes to test his ankle during Monday’s practice.

“It's feeling good. I ran on it a little bit last week, and I'm anxious to run on it today,” he said. “Today will be my first day back at practice, so we'll see how it goes from there. I am anxious to get back out there.”

The junior quarterback ranks 11th nationally in completion percentage (67.6), passing for 1,375 yards with four touchdowns to four interceptions. He leads Clemson in rushing attempts (101) and ranks second in rushing yards (393) with a team-best seven rushing scores.