Injury Update: Stanford’s Chris Owusu Leaves Game Via Ambulance, Concussion Likely
The Stanford Cardinal lost wide receiver Chris Owusu to a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit for Oregon State‘s Jordan Poyer in the second quarter of Stanford’s game with the Beavers at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.
Owusu was on the ground for several minutes until be stretchered off the field and transported by ambulance to an area hospital for observation and x-rays. He did have movement in all of his extremities with full range of motion.
Second week in a row Owusu hit hard and high
Owusu fumbled the ball off the hit and Poyer was able to pick it up and run it into the end zone, but the touchdown was negated because he was hit with a personal foul penalty. The penalty helped ensure that the Cardinal would go into the locker room at halftime with a lead.
It’s not unlike the situation last Saturday when Stanford was playing USC at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. Trojan T.J. McDonald leveled a hit on Owusu that drew the exact same penalty, a 15-yard foul for hitting above the shoulder pads. In that game, the McDonald foul allowed Stanford to continue the drive they were on and score a touchdown. McDonald was suspended by the Pac-12 for half a game.
The injury to Owusu last week was originally thought to be a concussion. That was later updated to a shoulder strain. When the Cardinal took on Washington State October 15, Owusu suffered what Cardinal head coach called a “minor concussion.”
Owusu also was injured with at least one concussion last season and missed several games. It’s to the point where he has to seriously weigh whether he wants to continue to play football, and those around him need to make sure he is fully informed. With so many head injuries in sequence, Owusu will become a prime candidate for post-concussion syndrome.
The Mayo Clinic defines post-concussion syndrome as “a complex disorder in which a variable combination of post-concussion symptoms – such as headaches and dizziness – last for weeks and sometimes months after the injury that caused the concussion.”
More injury bad news for the Cardinal
Stanford racked up a big third quarter to put the game out of reach for the Beavers, but now have to be concerned with their next game. The Cardinal hosts the high-flying Oregon Ducks November 12, and will be dealing with injury issues during the week.
In addition to Owusu, the Cardinal may be without tight end Zach Ertz, who was injured in the opening kickoff against USC last week. Tight end Levine Toilolo went out of the Oregon State game with an as-yet undisclosed injury.
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