Pair of Oregon Ducks' defenders get snubbed in All Big-Ten Conference Team selections
Can someone explain this to me like I'm five? Oregon Ducks defenders Jordan Burch and Derrick Harmon, amidst huge seasons for the No. 1 team in the country, were just named to the 2024 Third Team All-Big Ten team.Third. As in three. As in not second, let alone first where they should be. First and foremost, […]
Can someone explain this to me like I'm five? Oregon Ducks defenders Jordan Burch and Derrick Harmon, amidst huge seasons for the No. 1 team in the country, were just named to the 2024 Third Team All-Big Ten team.
Third. As in three. As in not second, let alone first where they should be.
First and foremost, credit to Matayo Uiagalelei, who has been high on the list of potential breakout candidates for the Ducks since the offseason, and he more than lived up to the hype with an incredible year. Getting First Team All-Big Ten as a true sophomore is an amazing accomplishment.
Giving him the nod over Burch makes sense with the injuries that Burch has had this season. I can understand that one. I also understand that there are five defensive linemen on the team and four of them are edge rushers, but what Harmon was able to accomplish from the interior was terrific. By plenty of metrics, Harmon had an even better season than Graham and was the best defensive tackle in all of college football.
At his position, Harmon led the country in pressures with 47 (13 more than Graham), recorded four sacks, six quarterback hits, and had two forced fumbles. He was a wrecking ball on the interior that served as a constant disruptor and will have an opportunity to continue his surge as a household name in the Big Ten Championship and in the College Football Playoffs.
For what it's worth, Abdul Carter, the edge rusher from Penn State that was listed on the First Team, had two less pressures than Harmon.
Edge rushers get the love because they typically get the flashy stats like sacks, but Harmon consistently collapsed pockets from the middle and pushed quarterbacks off their spots, usually into the waiting arms of Uiagalalei, all season. There's a genuine case for him being on the First Team, let alone all the way down on the Third Team where he ended up.
Don't worry, Harmon. Some of us see what you do on a weekly basis and will pound the drum on your behalf all the way up until you get drafted and become an impact player in the NFL.
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