LOS ANGELES (AP) – Just when it seemed Oregon’s defense was peaking at the perfect time, with Jameis Winston and Florida State on the horizon, an injury took away the Ducks’ best defensive back.
Second-ranked Oregon (12-1) will face the third-seeded Seminoles (13-0) on Jan. 1 in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Rose Bowl without All-America cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who injured his knee during practice this month and needed season-ending surgery.
Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum said Sunday the game plan doesn’t change with redshirt freshman Chris Seisay stepping into Ekpre-Olomu’s starting spot. Florida State offensive coordinator Randy Sanders wondered whether that would actually be the case. The senior from Chino Hills, California, is a talented and experienced player who could be used in a variety of ways.
For the Ducks, who played their best defensive game of the season in a 51-13 victory against Arizona in the Pac-12 title game, stopping Winston without Ekpre-Olomu will be their toughest challenge yet.
“Not having Ifo, we lose a very talented player,” Pellum said, “but we lose kind of a spiritual leader there, a guy with a lot of experience, a guy that’s been in the battle, the heat of the battle. So, we all have to pick up the slack.”