Oregon Players Who Must Step Up with Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Injured

The Oregon Ducks have had terrible luck with injuries this season. However, no injury may be more crippling going forward than the one suffered by senior cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. 

Ekpre-Olomu, a Jim Thorpe Award finalist and AP first-team All-American, suffered a serious knee injury during Tuesday’s practice. Ekpre-Olomu has been declared out for the rest of the season, according to an ESPN report. The news was first reported by Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports.

This is obviously a devastating blow to the Ducks and may end up affecting Oregon’s national championship aspirations.

The Ducks are only 15 days away from facing the Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl. It is now time for the backups to step up.

The loss for Oregon could be enormous, but the Ducks live by the motto “next man up.” Here’s who must step up for the Ducks to have a legitimate shot at knocking off Florida State and reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Chris Seisay 

If you don’t know who Chris Seisay is, you’re going to hear a lot about him over the next two weeks.

Seisay, a 6’1” redshirt freshman from California, was thrust into action as Oregon’s third cornerback this season due to the struggles of senior cornerback Dior Mathis.

Seisay will now likely start as Oregon’s No. 2 cornerback against Florida State, a position he found himself in against Utah when Ekpre-Olomu left that 51-27 victory with a toe injury.

At the time, Ekpre-Olomu told Seisay to play with the confidence of a starter. "I just tell him when you're out there you have to play with confidence because you never know what could happen," Ekpre-Olomu said, according to Andrew Greif of The Oregonian. "He's a play away from being a starter and he knew that coming into the game."

Unfortunately for the Ducks, Ekpre-Olomu’s words now look prophetic.

In a limited role this season, Seisay has registered 20 tackles, three pass breakups, three passes defended and has forced a fumble.

Against Florida State, Seisay will be tasked with guarding a combination of freshman Travis Rudolph and sophomore Jesus Wilson. On the season, Rudolph has caught 32 passes for 459 yards and three touchdowns, while Wilson has 37 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns.

Seisay has performed well in a limited role. He’ll need to contain Wilson and Rudolph in an expanded role against the undefeated Seminoles.

As for the unenviable task of guarding Florida State’s top receiver, Rashad Greene, that job will now be given to redshirt senior cornerback Troy Hill.

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Troy Hill

Hill, a 5’11” cornerback from Ohio, has been playing the best football of his career over the last month of the season. However, he will now be faced with his stiffest test in the most important game of his career.

Greene, FSU’s top receiver, has caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Greene ranks No. 8 nationally in receptions and No. 7 in receiving yards.

Hill was named to the Pac-12’s second-team defense and led the Pac-12 in pass breakups (16) and passes defended (17). Hill also ranked No. 3 in the nation in pass breakups and No. 7 in passes defended.

On the season, Hill has accounted for 57 tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.

When asked by Tyler Robinson of FishDuck.com about the challenge of playing Florida State, Hill responded, “You just got to know that you’re coming into a dogfight. If you get up, you know that you can’t let go. They’re going to fight the whole game, and you can’t really expect them to ever be out of it.”

Hill is going to have to play the best game of his career against Greene in the Rose Bowl. There’s little doubt that 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston is going to target Greene early and often, especially now that Ekpre-Olomu isn’t there to scare Winston away.

If Hill is able to play at the level he has for most of the season, the Ducks should still be able to match up with Florida State’s receiving core.

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Erick Dargan

While senior safety Erick Dargan is not a cornerback nor will he attempt to be one in the Rose Bowl, he has been Oregon’s best defender for most of the season and will be called upon to once again take charge of the Ducks secondary.

Not only is Dargan Oregon’s leading tackler this season with 82, but he also leads the team in interceptions with six—ranked No. 7 in the country and first in the Pac-12. Dargan, who was also named to the Pac-12’s second-team defense, has also registered five pass breakups and 11 passes defended this year.

Florida State’s passing game is ranked No. 14 in the country and is averaging just under 300 yards per game through the air. The Seminoles have two big playmakers in Greene and tight end Nick O’Leary, who has caught 47 passes for 614 yards and six touchdowns in 2014.

Dargan’s most important assignment against Florida State will not be focused on an individual, but rather it will be making sure his leadership is felt throughout the secondary.

Dargan is now the defense’s emotional leader, a role that he has shared with Ekpre-Olomu for most of the season. Now, with the senior cornerback likely out for the season, those duties fall exclusively on Dargan's shoulders.

This news is a huge blow for the Ducks. There’s no way to replace an All-American cornerback just two weeks before the Rose Bowl. While Ekpre-Olomu may not have had his finest season this year, he was still Oregon’s most reliable cornerback and was going to be tasked with covering Florida State’s top wide receiver.

Now, the Ducks must depend on Chris Seisay, Troy Hill and Erick Dargan to fill the void.

Oregon can still beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks offense is still as potent as ever, and as long as Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota is leading the charge the Ducks have a shot.

Still, the road to the national championship just got a lot tougher for the Pac-12 champions.

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.