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

James Fletcher IIIby:James Fletcher III•09/11/21•

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Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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.

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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.