Dan Lanning is glad Jordan Burch is on his side. He’s also glad Oregon’s star defensive end should be healthy for the College Football Playoff.

Burch battled a few injuries during the regular season that limited him to 9 games. He still managed to set career-high marks with 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

One of the games Burch was forced to miss included the midseason meeting against Ohio State. Asked about his potential to make an impact in the Rose Bowl, Lanning admitted “God doesn’t make a lot of people” like the defensive end.

“Just his size and athleticism. God doesn’t make a lot of people that look like Jordan Burch,” described Lanning. “When people see him, they’re surprised to hear he’s really 300 pounds because he looks really good at his size, but he plays like a beast on the field, relentless effort, and the fact that we have great depth and several guys that can play edge positions for us, it allows us to make sure that when he’s on the field he’s fresh, and a fresh Jordan Burch is really dangerous.”

Burch was able to showcase his athletic ability on multiple occasions this fall. That included a fake punt against Maryland when Burch displayed an impressive burst while picking up 36 yards.

Burch finished the regular season with a bang while recording 3 tackles with 2.5 sacks vs. Washington before registering 2 tackles in the Big Ten Championship.

It’s also worth noting Burch is not the only impact rusher up front for the Ducks. Matayo Uiagalelei led the team with 13 TFL and 10.5 sacks during a breakout season, and he made his presence felt with 2 TFL and a sack vs. the Buckeyes the first time around.

We’ll see how Oregon dials up the pressure and what Ohio State does to try and slow down the defense.