In a season opener that left little room for optimism, the Portland State Vikings faced an overwhelming defeat at the hands of the Oregon Ducks, with a staggering final score of 81-7.
However, the game’s most shocking moment came when one of the Vikings players suffered a gruesome ear injury.
Going into the matchup, the Ducks were favored by a whopping 48 points, leaving little doubt about the eventual outcome. As the game unfolded, it became clear that Portland State was outmatched and overpowered, to no one’s surprise.
Yet, amidst the overwhelming defeat, the injury to one of their players stole the spotlight.
Head coach Bruce Barnum disclosed that the unfortunate player experienced a partial ear detachment in addition to sustaining a concussion during the game.
“We’re fine. We had one guy get his ear ripped off. They sewed it back on, and now they say he has a concussion, so he’s out, but I think he’s fine,” Barnum revealed in an interview with John Canzano. He added, “Not the whole ear, a partial ear detachment. I think it was from when he got his helmet knocked off, so I think his ear didn’t come out of his helmet.”
Portland State football coach Bruce Barnum says player got his "ear ripped off" in 81-7 loss to Oregon #GoDucks on Saturday.
Listen for yourself: pic.twitter.com/9JhGM6aMmz
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) September 6, 2023
Despite the nature of the injury, Coach Barnum declined to identify the player involved, and no official injury report has been released to provide further details.
What is the worst football injury you’ve ever seen? Joe Theismann???