Ducks Lose Both John Boyett, Carson York For The Year

Oregon Football Loses 2 Stars: Can Ducks Still Contend?

The Oregon Ducks have lost two of their top players, John Boyett and Carson York, for the season, and now their ability to contend for a BCS berth and National Championship may be in question.

Boyett is one of the nation's top safeties, and he had been trying to deal with injuries to both the patellar tendons in his knees. He finally had to make the decision this week for surgery that will keep him out for six months.

York, a three-year starter on the Oregon offensive line, needs surgery after breaking his patella in the Ducks' game against Fresno State. He will miss the remainder of the season.

Avinash Kunnath, of SB Nation's Pacific Takes, wondered how the Ducks will be able to deal with this two key losses:

For all the talk about the USC Trojans being a team that could least afford injuries, the Oregon Ducks aren't too far behind. For the first time in a long time, there just isn't that much experience at many positions. The wide receivers still struggle to catch footballs. The offensive line isn't blocking quite as well. They're only 23rd this year in rushing YPC against weaker OOC competition, a concerning down from top 5 numbers the past two seasons.

As remarkable as Oregon's run of unparalled success has been their genuinely clean bill of health the past two seasons. Durability was the mark of this team as much as their speed and execution, exemplified by the Iron Duck LaMichael James. When Oregon stayed healthy, they were almost unbeatable; their players weren't just endurance machines, but they had the requisite experience to dominate their foes within their scheme.

This year, Oregon has been anything but healthy. Offensive linemen keep on getting hurt, and now their top lineman in York is out. Josh Huff has dealt with injuries. Boyett is the only significant injury on defense so far, but Oregon doesn't really have a replacement handy at free safety. That's a problem going forward.

The Ducks are currently No. 4 in both major polls and have won the Pac-12 championship three consecutive years. They have one more tune-up on Saturday against Tennessee Tech to adjust to life without Boyett and York before they start Pac-12 play with an improved Arizona team on Sept. 22.

For more on Boyett and Ducks football, visit Oregon blog Addicted To Quack, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.

Carson York Injury: Oregon Also Loses Top OL

The Oregon Ducks have lost offensive line standout Carson York after the guard suffered a right knee injury that will require season-ending surgery. York was on the watch lists for multiple lineman awards and was already ranked highly among draft prospects at his position.

John Boyett Injury: Oregon Safety Out For Season

Oregon Ducks free safety John Boyett is done for the year. He will require surgery on patella tendon tears on both of his legs, and then he will undergo a six-month rehab process that will definitely end his 2012 campaign with the Ducks.

Boyett's career as a Duck could very well be over. Boyett is currently a fifth-year senior, and it's unclear whether he will apply for a medical redshirt season or declare for the 2013 NFL Draft.

Here is what Boyett had to say about his injury:

Boyett read from a prepared statement Sunday, saying: "I’ve had a lingering injury that I played through all last year. The hope was, through different treatments and certain types of rehab during this past offseason, they would heal up and I’d be ready to go for my senior year. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out as planned. I’ve been dealing with a tremendous amount of pain for a long time. At this time, I’m not able to play up to this level that I want to. Five different specialists from around the country have reviewed my MRIs and at this time surgery is needed. The operation is scheduled for Wednesday and the rehab process to get back to 100 percent is approximately six months. It’s a very difficult decision. I have tremendous teammates and made many friends at the university. I’ve grown tremendously as a player and as a person, working under my great defensive back coach, Coach John Neal and the defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti, who recruited me to the University of Oregon."

Boyett will be replaced by Avery Patterson for the near future, although it's hard to see Oregon's secondary not being significantly impacted with the captain of their defense on the sidelines. Boyett was the team's leading tackler last season and was a rock in the backline of the Ducks. Although Oregon is very talented in their front seven, their secondary suddenly becomes a little bit more of a question mark with Boyett missing.

For more on Boyett and Ducks football, visit Oregon blog Addicted To Quack, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.

Oregon Football: John Boyett Reportedly Faces Season-Ending Knee Surgery

The Oregon Ducks could be without their star free safety John Boyett for the rest of the season, and there's a very good chance that Boyett might have seen his final action as an Oregon Duck. Rob Moseley of the Register-Guard reports via multiple sources that Boyett has a knee injury that is serious enough to end his season with surgery. Boyett redshirted in 2009, and was healthy enough to practice this season. That could mean that he won't be able to get a medical redshirt that would allow him to return for another season.

Boyett led the Ducks with 108 tackles last year and piled up 17 tackles in Oregon's Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. Boyett was expected to be the leader for the Ducks defense on their backline thanks to his great experience and skills, but his loss could be a huge blow to the national championship aspirations of the Ducks.

Boyett was replaced by Avery Patterson for Saturday's game against Fresno State.

Talk about Boyett with Oregon football fans at Addicted to Quack. Hit up the SB Nation college football hub along with the college football storystream for all your latest college football updates.