There was a massive defensive presence missing for Oregon this past weekend as it took on No. 2 Ohio State at Autzen Stadium and it didn't seem to matter as the Ducks bested the Buckeyes 32-31 in a thriller.
Sure, having Jordan Burch healthy and ready to wreak havoc on that Ohio State offensive line would've definitely helped, but the Ducks still pulled off the massive win.
Fans are wondering when the star defensive end will return to action and the concerns about him missing extended time are valid.
But Dan Lanning spoke to the media on Tuesday and revealed when he believes the star defensive end will return to action and it didn't sound like he expects him back immediately, per On3's Andy Backstrom.
"Continuing to evaluate it for him. Want to do what’s best for him. I do anticipate us being able to use Jordan again, but I don’t know that that’ll be this week. I don’t know that it won’t. So we’ll just keep evaluating that and see what it looks like."Dan Lanning on Jordan Burch
It sounds like Lanning isn't expecting a return this week for Burch even though he didn't quite rule it out, but that he does expect him back at some point this season. To me, that makes it seem like the injury is worse than originally thought.
Burch is a critical piece to the Big Ten and national title puzzle for the Ducks.
Yes, they beat the No. 2 team in the country without him, but that's not going to happen again if he's not back. He's that big of a difference-maker.