Eddie Vanderdoes Injury: Updates on UCLA Star's Knee and Return

The UCLA Bruins have Pac-12 title aspirations this season, but their chances took a significant blow Sunday with the loss of defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes for the season.

Continue for updates.

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Vanderdoes Diagnosed with Torn ACL

Sunday, Sept. 6

Vanderdoes collapsed to the ground in the third quarter of Saturday’s showdown with the Virginia Cavaliers and eventually limped off the field. The team hoped for good news after tests, but Edward Lewis of Rivals.com confirmed the worst Sunday: “Eddie Vanderdoes tore his ACL in the game yesterday. Crazy thing is he returned to action. He'll miss the season after surgery.”

Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times pointed out how difficult this loss would be moving forward for the Bruins even before the team declared Vanderdoes out for the season: “Losing Vanderdoes would be a severe blow to the Bruins. He and Clark are a formidable duo up front. Virginia averaged only 2.9 yards per carry on 34 rushing attempts.”

Vanderdoes earned All-Pac-12 honorable-mention status a season ago and finished with a team-high eight tackles in Saturday’s 34-16 win over Virginia. The Pac-12 is loaded with potentially elite offenses, including Oregon’s, USC’s and Arizona State’s, and the only way UCLA will win the conference is with a strong defensive effort.

Aaron Taylor of CBS Sports underscored how much harder that will be without the defensive lineman:

As Taylor suggested, UCLA has potential replacements for Vanderdoes, including young sophomores Matt Dickerson and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. They are inexperienced but talented, and they must now fulfill their expectations for a highly regarded team.

The Bruins also have linebacker Myles Jack as one of the best defensive playmakers in the country who will prevent opposing offenses from racking up many extended scoring drives.

UCLA has the defensive pieces to compete for a conference crown, but it will miss Vanderdoes’ ability to stuff the run and create pressure up the middle.