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EUGENE — By far, the biggest difference for Oregon in its rematch with Ohio State will be the presence of Jordan Burch.
The Ducks star defensive end suffered a meniscus injury during practice two days before the Oct. 12 win over the Buckeyes. He later sprained his ankle against Maryland and missed the game at Wisconsin.
Burch, who has 30 tackles (11 for loss) with 8.5 sacks, six pass breakups and one forced fumble in nine games, is back and could be a pivotal player in the Rose Bowl.
“God doesn’t make a lot of people that look like Jordan Burch,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “When people see him, they’re surprised to hear he’s really 300 pounds because he looks really good at his size. But he plays like a beast on the field, relentless effort, and the fact that we have great depth and several guys that can play edge positions for us, it allows us to make sure that when he’s on the field he’s fresh. And a fresh Jordan Burch is really dangerous.”
Burch had three tackles with 2.5 sacks in the win over Washington and two tackles in the Big Ten championship game against Penn State.
Oregon (13-0) has only been able to bookend its defensive front with Burch with outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei in nine of 13 games this season. Pairing them against a shuffled Ohio State offensive line is a matchup that could be favorable to the Ducks.
“I feel like he’s a freak,” Uiagalelei said. ”He’s going to come in and make plays I don’t feel like no one else can.”
Burch has missed some of the biggest games in his two years at UO due to injury.
He hurt his knee on the opening drive of last year’s Pac-12 championship game and it severely compromised Oregon’s pass rush and ability to set the edge against the run. The Ducks overcame Burch’s absence against the Buckeyes earlier this season and in a closer than necessary win at Wisconsin.
His excitement to be able to play in the College Football Playoff is palatable.
“He was there for the mental preparation last time, but now he’s physically getting ready for these guys,” linebacker Jeff Bassa said. “I know that he’s excited to let it roll.”
CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl
- Who: No. 1 Oregon Ducks (13-0) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (11-2)
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Time: 2 p.m. PT
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- TV channel: ESPN
- Stream: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or by signing up for Sling (cheapest streaming plans, $25 off your first month). If you already have cable, you can also watch this game live on Watch ESPN with your cable or satellite provider login information.
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