EUGENE — One of Oregon football’s most important defensive players is done for the season.
Ducks senior defensive end Teitum Tuioti suffered a season-ending knee injury in Oregon’s 41-28 win over Ohio State, Dan Lanning announced on Monday.
Advertisement
“Teitum has been unbelievable for us this year, and every year he’s been here,” Lanning said. “Just watching him grow as a player and person has been a lot of fun for us. But unfortunately Teitum’s done for the year, he had a knee injury, he’ll end up having surgery.”
Tuioti was among the Ducks’ leaders in tackles with 44, and ranked second on the team in sacks with 5.5 on the season. The former Sheldon High School star sits at No. 8 all-time for Oregon with 22.5 sacks across his four seasons, providing steady leadership on a talented and experienced defensive front.
In the win over the Buckeyes, he also showed off his arm: Tuioti completed a pass to fellow defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei on a memorable fake punt which shifted momentum in the game.
“I hate it for him, because (the injury) was a routine, weird play that it happened on,” Lanning said. “He left it on the line there on the field, and I don’t know if he’ll get another chance to play as an Oregon football player, but whoever gets to have that guy on their team in the future is gonna be really, really lucky.”
Advertisement
Should Tuioti forgo his fifth year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft, he is a projected second- or third-round pick according to some mock drafts.
Read the original article on oregonlive.com. Add oregonlive.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
