One stat shows importance of Kayvon Thibodeaux to Oregon's defense
As kickoff approaches, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux’s status for the Week 2 contest at Ohio State is still to be determined.
The highly touted defender sprained his ankle in the first half against Fresno State last weekend and ended up in walking boot.
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Thibodeaux made the trip to Columbus. Whether he ends up playing will be a huge variable for the Ohio State offense. The Athletic’s Jason Starrett shared a stat from PFF College about how effective the Oregon pass rush was with Thibodeaux vs. without him vs. Fresno State.
Importance of Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux:
Per @PFF_College, Ducks pressured Fresno State QB Jake Haener on 7 of his 14 dropbacks with Thibodeaux on the field last week (50%).
With Thibodeaux off the field, Oregon pressured Haener on 6 of 37 dropbacks (16%).
— Jason Starrett (@starrettjason) September 11, 2021
The 6-foot-5, 258-pound Thibodeaux is considered by many national outlets to be the non-quarterback with the best chance to be selected first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Last season, Thibodeaux earned the Morris Trophy and First-team All-Pac. In 2019, Thibodeaux was Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Ohio State-Oregon is slated for a noon EST kickoff and will be televised on FOX.
