Terrapins football outside linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil will miss the remainder of the season with a pectoralis injury, the team announced Monday.
Cudjoe-Virgil left Saturday’s win over Virginia in the first half and never returned. He ranked third on the team with three sacks, and coach Randy Edsall often referred to him as the team’s best pass rusher.
Cudjoe-Virgil was listed second on the depth chart behind Marcus Whitfield, but the pair was often on the field at the same time and formed a fearsome pass rushing duo. In Cudjoe-Virgil’s absence, freshman Yannick Ngakoue played outside linebacker on some passing downs.
In the newest Terps depth chart released after the injury report, Ngakoue was listed as Whitfield’s backup.
The redshirt junior linebacker transferred to College Park before last season from Division II Seton Hill and earned a scholarship this spring. Lightly recruited out of Towson High School, he worked security during his time as a walk-on with the Terps to earn money.
The injury bug that struck the Terps corners earlier this year — Dexter McDougle (shoulder) was lost for the year and Jeremiah Johnson (toe) will still be out for a few more weeks — has made its way to the linebackers. Outside linebacker Matt Robinson missed Saturday’s game with a rotator cuff injury and is expected to miss three-to-four weeks. Alex Twine started in his spot, and freshman Cavon Walker is listed as his backup.
(UPDATE, 6:48 p.m.): Football columnist Aaron Kasinitz combed through footage of Saturday’s game, and he found the play where Cudjoe-Virgil appears to be injured. On the third-and-9 during Virginia’s opening possession, Virginia running back Kevin Parks ran around the right side. Cudjoe-Virgil attempted the tackle and fell awkwardly to the ground. He never appeared in another play. The sequence, via screencaps from the ESPN3 feed, is presented below (click on the photos to enlarge):