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Illinois LB Tre Watson could miss significant time following knee surgery
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Illinois linebacker Tre Watson underwent knee surgery on Tuesday, leaving a timetable for a possible return in question.
Jeremy Werner of the Illini Inquirer reported that Illinois confirmed Watson’s surgery on Tuesday, but there was no announcement regarding the length of time the linebacker would be away from the field. Head coach Lovie Smith is expected to provide an update sometime on Tuesday following practice.
Watson currently ranks second on the team with 40 tackles. He’s also recorded 2.5 stops for loss an interception and a fumble recovery on the season. Last fall, he tallied 102 tackles.
Not only do the Illini suffer because one of their best defenders will miss significant time, but the defense has been bitten by the injury bug far too frequently this season. This is bad news for a team that’s already undersized, inexperienced and relatively thin.
Illinois travels to Minneapolis this weekend to battle the Golden Gophers.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB