Emptying the notebook: Jordan Burch’s breakthrough, Jestin Jacob’s potential impact

As No. 9 Oregon’s big Week 4 win over Colorado fades into the rearview, the Ducks are approaching a lull in their schedule before the crucial portion of the season.

Oregon will arrive in Palo Alto this weekend as a four-score favorite over Troy Taylor’s Cardinal and then will have a bye week ahead of its season-defining showdown with No. 7 Washington in Seattle on Oct. 14.

After an eventful week in Eugene, here are a few of the more significant storylines coming out of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex ahead of Week 5.

What will Jestin Jacob’s return mean for Oregon’s defense?

It’s starting to look like Jestin Jacobs is going to make his long-awaited return to the field sooner rather than later.

Jacobs, a former Iowa standout who was one of Dan Lanning’s more highly-touted transfer portal additional this offseason, has yet to make his Oregon debut. He was sidelined for the entirety of fall camp and has been a limited participant for much of September.

Over the past week, though, Jacobs has begun to ramp up during practice. He took part in a full-contact drill on Tuesday.

During Wednesday’s media availability, Lanning was asked about the impact Jacobs might make for the Ducks once he returns.

 “He’s a great player and I think as he gets more and more comfortable — obviously, we’re always gonna be precautionary for him — but as he gets more and more comfortable, we’re excited to see what he can do for us out there.”

So far this season, Jeffrey Bassa (160 snaps) and Jamal Hill (131 snaps) have seen the majority of the playing time for Oregon at inside linebacker.

Devon Jackson, Bryce Boettcher, and Connor Soelle have made big contributions, too. But those within the program have noted that Jacobs could be a major difference-maker for the Ducks.

“We miss him. We’ve seen him practice all spring — everything until he got hurt,” Hill said. “We know what he’s going to bring to our defense. I’m excited for the world to see what he has to offer because he’s a special player. Like, really, really, really special. I feel like our defense is really good now but when he comes back he’s going to give us that extra boost from good to great.”

Jordan Burch’s breakthrough

Less than three weeks ago, there was worry among Oregon’s fanbase that Jordan Burch hadn’t exactly hit the ground running during his first two games with the program.

Burch, a former 5-star signee who excelled at South Carolina last season, was expected to transform the Ducks’ pass rush after transferring in during the offseason. But he played just 29 snaps — 13th-most among Oregon’s defensive players — during a nail-biting Week 2 road win at Lubbock and did not influence the game.

What a difference two games can make.

Burch was electric during last weekend’s win over Colorado and produced 2.0 sacks and 4.0 total tackles to lead the charge during Oregon’s best defensive performance of the season.

Burch spoke with reporters this week and said that after he tallied his first sack of the season against Hawaii in Week 3, he’s been playing a bit looser and with more freedom.

“I knew it would eventually come,” Burch said on Tuesday. “Everybody I’ve talked to about getting sacks always says they come in bunches. When you get that first one, you have that feeling of where you should be at certain times for the second one. They start to repeat.”

Burch has won 26.1% of his matchups in true pass sets this season, according to Pro Football Focus. That is the highest rate among Oregon defensive linemen and the ninth-best rate among Pac-12 linemen.

I asked him this week if opposing teams have been throwing more doubles at him than he expected they would this season. He said it’s been, more or less, the same as when he was at South Carolina.

“Yeah, maybe not doubles. But chips from the running backs and tight ends,” Burch said. “That’s kind of what you expect when the offensive line slides different ways. So, it’s not a big surprise. If they wanna protect their quarterback, then that’s what they’ll do.”

Khyree Jackson’s emergence

Oregon senior cornerback Khyree Jackson stole the show during the Ducks’ win over Colorado.

Jackson blanketed Buffs’ wideout Xavier Weaver all afternoon and put a bunch of quality moments on film.

The nation took notice, and Jackson is starting to emerge as a household name.

“We’ve challenged him every single week and he keeps stepping up to the challenge,” Lanning said. “I’m really proud of Khyree and the way that he’s played. He hasn’t let the moment get too big. I think we’re all seeing what Khyree is capable of and we’re going to continue to challenge him, and he’s going to continue to make us better with the way he’s performing on Saturdays.”

Later in the week, Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill explained in slightly more abstract terms what makes Jackson so valuable for the Ducks.

“It’s gotta be in you — and he’s got that in him,” Hill said. “It’s that stuff you can’t really coach; he’s got that super competitive edge. He’s an emotional player and he knows how to use it in his strength.”

Hill said those aforementioned traits have been evident from the first day he met Jackson.

“We were at, like, a team event, playing basketball,” Hill recalled. “Me and him were out there sweating. He was out there trying to win just as bad as I was — and I know I’m competitive. But he really wanted to win that basketball game. Showed me a lot there.”

What’s behind the lack of music at Oregon practice?

Each day when Oregon begins practice, a playlist of modern hip-hop can be heard echoing throughout the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex outdoor practice fields.

This week, though, the Ducks have been practicing in absolute silence.

According to Lanning, that is to prepare Oregon’s players for the gameday environment — or lack thereof — at Stanford.

“Yeah, we’re just recognizing this environment is going to be a little bit different,” Lanning said. “We need to change the environment a little bit at practice.”

Penn State head coach James Franklin made headlines for deploying the same strategy this week ahead of his team’s trip to Northwestern.

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