I do acknowledge that top notch athletes are going to have a higher tolerance for pain, and that Novacaine can help alleviate temporary pains, but as Napoleon stated, playing on it is only going to continue aggravating it, and will push the recovery time even further back.
The main question is this... Are Tranquil's replacements capable of holding down the fort for the next few games? If they can, then he can rest / rehab, and get back to full strength by the playoffs. If the replacements become terrible liabilities, then we may have no choice but to play him if we want to make the playoffs.
I don't know if last week's game was a good measure, given that it was a triple option offense they were going up against, and not a spread attack that most colleges are using these days.
I do trust Clark Lea to make the right decision, though.