Not one, but two Oregon defensive stars out vs. Ohio State

On3 imageby:James Fletcher III09/11/21

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Oregon football stars Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe are both listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, according to Yahoo’s Pete Thamel. The two former five-star recruits leave a massive hole in production for the Ducks’ defense heading into their biggest game on the non-conference schedule.

Thibodeaux is considered one of the top prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft class and has earned hype as a potential No. 1 overall pick. He was dominant in the season opener, forcing a strip sack in the first quarter before leaving with an ankle injury. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound edge rusher later returned to the sideline in a walking boot.

Flowe is the anchor of the defense at middle linebacker. He finished Week One’s win over Fresno State with 14 tackles before sustaining a foot injury.

More on Kayvon Thibodeaux

Thibodaux joined Oregon as the No. 2 players in the class of 2019. He ranked No. 1 in the state of California and was also the second-best edge rusher in the country. Thibodeaux was named the PAC-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. He is also a two-time USA Today High School All-American.

He is a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end who has developed into one of the top edge rushers in his class. Therefore, Thibodeaux is considered a top-10 NFL Draft pick next season by many analysts. He also won the 2020 Morris Trophy, given to the best lineman in the PAC-12 each season.

In 2020, Thibodeaux finished with 38 tackles and three sacks, in addition to three pass break-ups and two quarterback hits in seven games.

More on Justin Flowe

Flowe saw increased playing time Saturday after starting linebacker Dru Mathis suffered a leg injury, exiting the game along with Kayvon Thibodeaux. He was the first Oregon player to have 14 tackles and force a fumble in the same game since 2007. He was also the eighth player in team history with 14 tackles in a season opener, per the school.

Last season, Flowe appeared in Oregon’s opener against Stanford and recorded a tackle before suffering an injury in the game. He was sidelined for the remainder of the season but was reportedly back to 100% prior to Saturday.

Flowe shares the freshman linebacker spotlight with linebacker Noah Sewell. The other former five-star recruit is brother of 2021 first-round NFL Draft selection and former Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.