Burch Injured in Practice Thursday, Reported "Uncertain" for Ohio State at Oregon

Reports from Pete Thamel of ESPN and Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire indicate that Duck defensive end Jordan Burch, the catalyst and team leader in sacks, was hurt in a noncontact drill during Thursday practice and may be out or limited for tonight's game with the Buckeyes.

Burch leads Tosh Lupoi's defense with 5 sacks, 2.5 against Michigan State a week ago. His status is an eerie throwback to Kayvon Thibodeaux's lower leg injury in 2021, a setback that kept Thibodeaux out of Oregon's 35-28 win over OSU in Columbus.

Getting some pressure on Buckeye quarterback Will Howard was a key to the game for the Ducks. He's roasted opponents for 1248 yards this year and 12 touchdowns while completing 71% of his passes. When pressured, however, he's 5-16 for 34 yards with one interception, 31%.

If Burch is unable to go or ineffective, the outside pass rush opportunities/responsibilities go to 5-star Matayo Uiagalelei, 4-star Teitum Tuioti and 4-star Blake Purchase, all sophomores. The three have combined for 4.5 sacks this season, three by Uiagalelei. But Burch has been the Ducks most disruptive weapon on  defense, projected to be a Top 50 player in the 2025 NFL draft.