Oregon standout defensive end Jordan Burch will not play No. 2 Ohio State. Burch did not dress for the game and was spotted on crutches while standing on the sideline as Oregon took the field.
Burch reportedly suffered a non-contact lower body injury during No. 3 Oregon's practice session on Thursday and had to be helped off of the field.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Burch's absence is a huge loss for the Ducks, who have been on a defensive tear over the last month. Burch has a team-high five sacks on the season, 3.5 of which came in Oregon's first two Big Ten wins against UCLA and Michigan State. He also leads the Ducks with seven tackles for loss and is tied for the team lead with three quarterback hurries.
Burch is the only non-defensive back on Oregon's roster with at least four pass breakups this season. To put Burch's play into context, he had 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 13 starts last season. He was a 2023 All-Pac-12 honorable mention after all three of his sacks came in the first five games.
Burch transferred to Oregon in 2023 after three years at South Carolina, where he started 14 games and logged 4.5 sacks. A former five-star prospect out of Columbia, South Carolina, Burch signed with the Gamecocks in 2020 as the No. 17 player nationally and No. 4 defensive tackle in his class.
