This hurts, both literally and figuratively. This week, the Ducks officially lost two of their most senior leaders and top performers in free safety John Boyett and offensive lineman Carson York, both to knee injuries.
Boyett disclosed to his hometown newspaper that he has been playing with injuries to both knees for some time and will miss the rest of the 2012 season to have surgery on both of his patellar tendons after leading the team in tackles for most of his career.
Similarly, York had surgery on his torn patellar tendon following an injury in last season’s Rose Bowl. His recovery has been quicker than anticipated but in limited action against Fresno State last Saturday he broke his kneecap, ending his final season.
Boyett is the only player on the Ducks’ defense to have been a starter for three years and the same goes for York on offense.
The two were also among only five current players who have played under Chip Kelly since his debut as Oregon’s head coach against Boise State in 2009.
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Throughout spring and fall practice it was assumed Brian Jackson and Avery Patterson were battling for the starting spot at the rover position to play alongside Boyett at free safety.
Jackson has looked more than capable as the starter at rover, as he is tied for the team lead in tackles with 12, while he has broken up a fair share of passes.
It was revealed this week that Patterson took a lot of reps at Boyett’s position in preparation for the season, and he looked comfortable starting in place of his teammate last Saturday with five tackles.
Heading into this week’s game Patterson and Jackson are penned as the starters on the depth chart with Erick Dargan listed as the backup for both spots.
“I’m not trying to emulate John, I am just trying to go out there and be myself,” Patterson said.
“We are all pretty much similar (Dargan, Patterson and Jackson),” Dargan said. “We bring a lot to the table with ball skills, tackling, covering.”
Cornerbacks Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Dior Mathis have also been mentioned as guys who could shift around in the secondary to fill needs.
“I think everyone in the defensive backs has to play a big role now,” Mathis said.
If Dargan and Patterson see time on the field simultaneously, it will be a throwback to their high school days where they played in the same secondary at Pittsburg High in California.
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With York missing the opener due to his injury from last season and plenty of garbage minutes to experiment with combinations and injuries along the line in last week’s game, the offensive front five has been ever-changing to start 2012.
In addition to York, injuries to Kyle Long, Ryan Clanton and Jake Fisher have left questions about the offensive line moving forward.
The severity of these ailments, aside from York’s, are unknown due to Chip Kelly’s policy of not discussing injuries.
The most information at hand for what the O-line will look like is what is on this week’s depth chart submission. Fisher, Nick Cody, Hroniss Grasu, Clanton and Tyler Johnstone are listed as the starters. All of their reserves figure to get playing time against FCS opponent Tennessee Tech.