Popo Aumavae out for the season after foot injury in opener vs. Georgia

When Dan Lanning walked into the Oregon program from Georgia, there was some defensive talent to work with. Mario Cristobal left for Miami but with how well he recruited, Lanning would have a couple of guys on his side of the ball. One of those being Popo Aumavae, who is fresh off an all-conference season.

However, the defensive line will now have to go forward without Aumavae. He did not play in the season opener against Georgia, with his absence being a notable one. Lanning confirmed two days later that Aumavae has a foot injury and will be out for the season.

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“Dan Lanning said Oregon all-conference nose tackle Popo Aumavae is ‘going to be out for the season’ due to a foot injury,” Scoop Ducks’ Jarrid Denney said on Twitter.

Aumavae was going to be crucial to Oregon’s defensive success this season, coming back for a sixth season in college football. Lanning called it a “big loss” for the program as the nose tackle will be getting surgery on his foot.

“Unfortunately, it looks like he’s gonna be–I hate it for him–had a foot injury, it looks like he’s gonna be out for the season,” Lanning said during his Monday night press conference. “That’s a big loss for us,” Lanning said. “He’s gonna be getting surgery. Hate to lose him because he’s worked so hard to get back from injury.”

In 13 appearances last season, Aumavae was able to record 36 tackles — 16 of which were solo. He also added three tackles for a loss. Both the Associated Press and Pac-12 coaches voted him to the conference’s first team.

Now, Oregon will have a huge gap to fill in the middle of their defensive line. As Lanning stated, Aumavae was scheduled to play a prominent role in the head coach’s plans on a weekly basis. Early in his tenure, Lanning now faces some more adversity.