Burch collects No. 3 Oregon's fourth-straight honor from Big 10 Conference

A Duck has received a weekly honor from the Big Ten for the fourth straight week of Oregon football action, with edge rusher Jordan Burch being named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Oregon's 31-10 win over Michigan State on Friday, Oct. 4.

The fifth-year senior recorded a career-high 2.5 sacks against Michigan State, coming just half a sack shy of matching his 2023 season-long total. His five sacks on the season ties him with Michigan's Josaiah Stewart and Indiana's Mikail Kamara to lead the Big Ten as well as a tie for eighth-place nationally in the category.

“He’s playing with great violence and he’s the kind of person that shouldn’t be blocked one-on-one," Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said about Burch following the win over Michigan State on Friday, Oct. 4. "We’re doing a good job defensively of creating one-on-one opportunities for him, and he’s doing a good job of taking advantage of those... It starts with other guys on the front that do a great job rushing that makes him have a one-on-one. He’s been able to take advantage of those and that’s what we expect from (Burch).”

Along with his sack production, Burch closed out the game against Michigan State with four total tackles as well as recovering a fumble from Spartans quarterback Aiden Chiles in the first quarter.

Burch joins kicker Atticus Sappington and Tez Johnson as Ducks to be honored by the conference this season. Johnson is a two-time winner, being named Offensive Player of the Week for his 11-catch, 121-yard and two score performance against UCLA as well as special teams player of the week following an 85-yard punt return touchdown against Boise State. Sapptington earned special teams player of the week after a perfect performance on a pair of field goals and five extra points against Oregon State.

Burch was also named the national defensive player of the week by both the Shrine Bowl and Reese's Senior Bowl, sharing the latter honor with Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolan.

Oregon, now 5-0 on the year, faces its biggest test of the season — with ESPN's College GameDay present to witness it first hand — when Burch and No. 3 Oregon face No. 2 Ohio State at Autzen. Kickoff between the Ducks and Buckeyes is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Autzen Stadium.