On Monday, Oregon’s football team learned of more bad news on the injury front.
The Ducks have lost senior starting linebacker Johnny Ragin due to a serious leg injury sustained during Oregon’s 51-33 loss at Washington State over the weekend, sources told Ryan Thorburn of The Register-Guard.
Ragin departed the game during the third quarter in Pullman. At Oregon’s practice Monday, he was on crutches with a brace on his left leg.
The transfer from Cal and native of Wilsonville, Oregon, had recorded a team-high 29 tackles in the four games he played in this season.
At practice on Monday, linebackers coach Don Pellum said he didn’t have an update on Ragin. “We’re hopeful but we have to see.”
Pellum expanded when asked about what intangibles Ragin cannot replace.
“When one man goes down, everyone else has to become stronger,” linebackers coach Don Pellum said Monday. “So everyone else has to pick up a piece of what Johnny brought, if Johnny’s not available. That’s going to be whoever is on the field is going to have to do a little more, because Johnny was really good at seeing the real big picture and being like a coach. Everyone else has to grow up faster.”
Shortly after the game, Ragin tweeted out a “thank you” to Oregon fans.
https://twitter.com/JohnnyRaginIII/status/782500473974566912
Oregon hosts No. 5-ranked Washington on Saturday at Autzen Stadium (4:30 p.m. FOX).
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne