One year ago, Pat Fitzgerald openly renewed his confidence in a redshirt sophomore quarterback. That quarterback, Clayton Thorson, was coming off a tough individual season, laden with growing pains, in which he barely completed 50 percent of his passes. But Fitz never wavered.
“Clayton’s the guy,” Fitzgerald asserted at 2016 Big Ten Media Days. “Our chemistry, our trust, our timing, our rhythm is improved."
Then the young signal caller went out and made the freshman-to-sophomore year jump that Fitzgerald expected and needed. The game clearly slowed down for Thorson; he showed more poise and trust in himself and his teammates last season.