Oregon Ducks notebook: Justin Flowe sidelined indefinitely, Pac-12 sets Arizona game time

Justin Flowe is out indefinitely, Cam McCormick is out for the season, and Kayvon Thibodeaux is getting closer to returning.

That was the injury update provided Monday afternoon by No. 4 Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal, whose team had an off day from practice two days after their thrilling upset of then-No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus.

Flowe, the former five-star linebacker who had 14 tackles and a forced fumble in his Ducks debut against Fresno State on Sept. 4, was on the sideline with a walking boot on his right foot and didn’t play against the Buckeyes.

Cristobal didn't give a timetable for Flowe's return.

“I wish I could say on Flowe what it’s gonna be,” Cristobal said. “It’s a pretty significant injury, so we don’t know. Always hopeful, but it seems to be a little bit longer term than anything else.”

Cristobal said they knew mid-week Flowe wouldn’t be able to play against Ohio State, but kept the news quiet.

More on the Oregon-Ohio State game:

• Oregon Ducks stun Ohio State Buckeyes 35-28 in historic win
• 'Block out the noise and just be Oregon': Jubilant Ducks celebrate watershed win at Ohio Stadium
• Oregon Ducks football jumps eight spots to No. 4 in AP poll after win at Ohio State

“There’s no advantage in giving out information like that, and we respect the privacy of our football players,” he said. “In the building, there’s always confidentiality with that medical stuff.”

Flowe, a second-year freshman, missed most of 2020 after suffering a meniscus tear in his knee in the first game.

The Ducks are also without Dru Mathis at inside linebacker after the super senior injured his left leg against the Bulldogs. Keith Brown, a freshman from Lebanon, got the start against the Buckeyes and finished with two tackles.

“He played well and physical and downhill,” Cristobal said.

Thibodeaux also watched the Ohio State game from the sideline after spraining his ankle against Fresno State. The defensive end had been labeled as day-to-day by Cristobal in the week heading into the game.

“He’s getting better and better,” Cristobal said. “You just don’t know. Those things, again, are a little bit tricky. We thought there might’ve been a chance but felt that it just wasn’t quite time yet.”

The news on McCormick was a disappointing development to one of the feel-good stories of the season so far. The tight end from Bend hadn’t played since getting injured in the opening game of his sophomore season in 2018. After multiple years and multiple surgeries to repair his broken ankle, McCormick finally made it back on the field this season.

But on his first catch of the season Saturday, Cristobal said McCormick suffered “a pretty significant leg injury” and won’t return this fall.

Pac-12 after dark comes to Eugene

Oregon will opens its Pac-12 season under the lights at Autzen Stadium, the conference announced Monday.

The Ducks will host Arizona at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. ESPN will televise the game.

It’ll be the first time this season Oregon has had a night-time kick off. The Ducks opened with an 11 a.m. game against Fresno State, started at noon Columbus time against Ohio State last weekend and will play at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Stony Brook in the nonconference finale.

The only other game with a set time on Oregon’s schedule is the 7:30 Friday night game at home against California on Oct. 15.

Conference honors roll in for Ducks

Following its historic 35-28 victory against Ohio State, Oregon had three players win player of the week honors by the Pac-12 Monday.

Running back CJ Verdell was the offensive player of the week, center Alex Forsyth was the offensive lineman of the week, and defensive end Bradyn Swinson was the defensive lineman of the week.

Verdell rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns — including a 77-yard scoring run in the third quarter — and caught three passes for 34 yards and another score.

Helping make life easier for Verdell and others was Forsyth, as the Ducks rushed for 269 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry.

Swinson matched his career-high with five tackles and had a sack in the fourth quarter.

Quick look at the Seawolves

After a road game against a highly ranked national powerhouse, the Ducks will be considerably less challenged Saturday when they return to Autzen Stadium to play Stony Brook, a Football Championship Subdivision team from Long Island, N.Y.

The Seawolves (1-1), who play in the Patriot League, are coming off a 24-3 win against Colgate last Saturday. They lost to New Hampshire in their season-opener, 27-21.

Stony Brook has played — or been scheduled to play — a Football Bowl Subdivision team every season since 2010 and are 1-10 overall when playing up. The Seawolves' win came against Army in 2012.

Up next: No. 4 Oregon vs. Stony Brook

4:30 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium. TV: Pac-12 Networks. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3) and KUGN-AM (590).

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.