NU's Thorson, Hall battling back from knee injuries

Ask Clayton Thorson and Nate Hall who can hold a single leg hold the longest, and you'll get two conflicting answers.

Thorson, the Northwestern Wildcats' starting quarterback, states he held his leg hold for three minutes, while arguing that Hall, the team's starting outside linebacker, held his for only two minutes, 20 seconds.

"My quad's way stronger than his," Thorson said at Monday's Big Ten media day to kick off the new season. "You can take that one to the bank."

Hall disagreed.

"I'm not calling Clay a liar," he said. "I love him to death, but we can go out in the streets of Chicago right now and battle one out."

A single leg hold might not seem like much, especially not to two Big Ten football players whose 8 straight victories are the longest right now in the FBS. It is a feat, however, for two players enduring a grueling recovery process.

Thorson, a Wheaton North High School graduate, endured the brunt of this recovery process as he rehabbed a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered in his left knee during Northwestern's Music City Bowl win over Kentucky.

Since the injury, Thorson's taxing rehabilitation has paid off, as he has been cleared to practice and has eyes on starting Northwestern's season opener against Purdue on August 31. Hall said being a part of Thorson's rehabilitation has inspired his own, as Hall suffered a knee injury just before the Music City Bowl.

"We've been using each other, leaning on each other, just going through the process together," Hall said. "I think we've inspired each other."

Although Thorson still has to work to do with his rehabilitation, he credits Northwestern's training staff with getting him to the point of being cleared to practice.

"There are some things that are out of my control," Thorson said. "All I can control is keep working to that point and building more muscle and stamina, and that's what I'm doing."

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said Thorson's attitude toward his rehabilitation was amazing to watch as a coach.

"His work ethic has been absolutely relentless, but incredibly inspiring to his teammates to watch just how hard he has worked to get himself prepared for camp," Fitzgerald said.