NCAA Football Oregon Ducks

How Oregon Ducks Can Overcome Loss Of Ifo Ekpre-Olomu

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By @radiohauser

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks will be without star CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu for the rest of the College Football Playoff after he suffered a knee injury in practice last week. The senior All-American defensive back is one of the best in college football with 63 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass deflections this season. Who will replace the second-year starter in the inaugural playoff?

Two options at the position are seniors Troy Hill and Dior Mathis. Both have experience on the field with productive stats. Hill has the most production of the two, having played every game this season in relief of Ekpre-Olomu. He has racked up  57 tackles, one interception and 16 pass deflections as a backup in the Ducks’ secondary. Hill is expected to fill in and be the “next man up” for the Ducks and should not miss a beat.

Mathis, on the other hand, will see extended playing time but has been held out of five games this season. The redshirt senior has 13 tackles and four pass deflections in limited time over seven games this season. At one point, Mathis contemplated quitting football altogether, but has taken a reserve role with Oregon and has the chance to step up, showing his potential on the biggest stage.

Oregon should be productive even with the loss of Ekpre-Olomu, but it will take great execution on defense against the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles, who come into the Rose Bowl undefeated with a 13-0 record. The New Year’s day affair will mark the third time this season the Noles have played a ranked opponent, and it’ll be their the highest-ranked foe since facing off against No. 2 Auburn in last year’s National Championship game.

Expect Oregon’s secondary to be ready against FSU quarterback Jameis Winston, who averages more than an interception per game this season and has thrown 17 picks total. With the Ducks’ offense scoring on an average of  less than two minutes per drive, most of the time spent on the field for Oregon will be on defense. Winston has struggled lately and could be picked apart by the Ducks’ defensive backs if he doesn’t take care of the football.

Jeff Hauser is a Pac-12 Football contributing writer for RantSports and a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @radiohauser.

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