The Oregon Ducks beat the Illinois Fighting Illini, 38-9, this weekend, improving to 8-0 and reaffirming themselves as the No. 1 college football team in the country. But, the Ducks were once again without star defensive end Jordan Burch who suffered a knee injury in practice before the Ohio State game. He hasn’t played since.
In his press conference following the Ducks win against the Fighting Illini, Oregon coach Dan Lanning offered an update on Burch’s status. He hoped Burch will make his return next week for Oregon’s road trip to Michigan.
“He did some limited stuff for us at the end of practice this week,” Lanning said. “We will continue to evaluate him and see what’s best for him, and in turn, what’s best for our team.”
In the Ducks’ first five games of the season, Burch was performing like Oregon’s best defensive player. This season, he has 19 tackles, seven TFLs and five sacks. He has defended four passes and recovered a fumble.
Although Burch’s absence is major, the Ducks’ defense has exemplified the next man up philosophy without him. Sophomore Matayo Uiagalelei (usually a starting edge rusher) has played a large chunk of interior snaps in place of Burch, and he has shined in his adjusted role.
In the three games without Burch, Uiagalelei has made 11 tackles, 4 1/2 TFLs and two sacks while soaking up double teams, which makes an unquantifiable impact on Oregon’s defensive effort.
Burch practicing this past week is a good sign, and if he’s able to practice more next week, he may be ready to go for the Michigan game. If not, he’s expected back sometime in November, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Hopefully, he’ll return sooner rather than later, but he could be sidelined until Oregon’s matchup against Washington.
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