Oregon insider shares injury update for key Ducks defender ahead of showdown against Ohio State

With the hours counting down to Week 7's Ohio State vs. Oregon primetime matchup, news is trickling out that could affect how this plays out. Unsurprisingly, the margins are tight between the Bucks and Ducks, and fans are in for a treat. It's not often the No. 2 and No. 3 overall teams play in the regular season.

One key Oregon defender might not be fully healthy for this battle, though. Despite both teams showing clean injury reports, On3's Oregon Ducks insider Justin Hopkins shared some concerns about star pass-rusher Jordan Burch.

The update has fans wondering whether Burch is 100 percent entering this showdown.

A Twitter/X user shared a screenshot of Hopkins detailing Burch's injury status this week. This is more of an insider scoop than it is confirmed by the team, but Hopkins shared that Burch got "knicked up" and was held out of practice out of precautionary concern. This was in response to a rumor that Burch was carted off the field.

The good news for Burch and Oregon is that the team source told Hopkins that was an "excessive exaggeration of what happened." That would have been a disaster for both the team and the player.

Related: Oregon Ducks can create a mismatch for breakout star Jordan Burch against Ohio State by lining him up at one specific spot

Burch will absolutely be a factor in this game, either positively or negatively. Never known as a quality run defender, Ohio State will target him in the ground game, just as Boise State did. However, Burch's explosiveness will cause issues for the Buckeyes in the pass-game.

Whether Burch is the victim of being gashed on the ground or he makes an impact play against Will Howard, he's someone the Buckeyes have to track every snap. His being healthy and available is a big boost to Oregon's chances in this one.

You can read the rest of our betting preview for Ohio State vs. Oregon here.