Kayvon Thibodeaux Will Now be Looked Upon to Ease the Blow of Gus Cumberlander's Season-Ending Injury

Thibodeaux was named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week after notching two sacks on Saturday, and he will be heavily relied upon if the Ducks are to succeed going forward.

While Oregon coach Mario Cristobal announced on Monday morning that defensive lineman Gus Cumberlander would miss the rest of the season with a leg injury, the Ducks are in a position where that type of his won't derail their season, as it would many other teams. 

The Ducks are in this position because they have freshman phenom Kayvon Thibodeaux, and on Saturday night against California, Thibodeaux had his best collegiate performance and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the week. 

The freshman had two sacks in the game against the Golden Bears, and he acted as a key part of the Oregon defense, who held their opponent to single-digit scoring for the fourth straight week. This was the first time that the Ducks have done that since 1960.

With Cumberlander's unfortunate injury, Thibodeaux will have to step up on the defensive line and make sure that the Ducks don't skip a beat. If his performance on Saturday was any indication of what he's capable, that shouldn't be a problem.