Hopkins says he expects to play in Orange Bowl

David Hood by Senior Writer -

HOLLYWOOD, FLA. – Clemson wide receiver DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins said Thursday that he expects to play in the Orange Bowl versus West Virginia next Wednesday, but admitted that his accident Tuesday was scary.

Hopkins suffered a concussion in the accident and missed the team’s bus charter to Miami for the Orange Bowl. He caught up with the team on Wednesday, and while he didn’t practice, both he and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney Dabo Swinney

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That allows the sophomore from Central to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

“I was on my way back to my apartment, which is right there near the stadium,” Hopkins said at the team hotel Thursday afternoon. “It was wet, and my car just hydroplaned and I went off the side of the road. It was crazy how fast it happened. I woke up and I was on the side of the road.

“The coaches told me that there were people who had stopped to help me, and that I was fortunate they were there. I really don’t remember much about it at all. I hit my head on the steering wheel and I lost consciousness, and then those people stopped and helped me. I want to thank them for taking time out of their busy day to stop and help me.”

Hopkins said he still has a slight headache, and doesn’t know when he will return to practice.

“It’s feeling better each day,” he said. “I hope to get out there soon. If I had to guess, I would say I would play right now.”

Swinney agreed with his wide out.

“I think he is going to be fine,” Swinney said. “He just had a slight concussion. He is very lucky that he was not seriously injured. I think he is really thankful that he is okay. Not many people would walk away from that wreck. He ran today and moved around a little bit and I expect him back this weekend and I expect him to play.”

Hopkins is second on the team with 62 receptions for 871 yards and four touchdowns.