EUGENE, Ore. >> Just two games into the season and No. 4 Oregon has already been dealt a blow with injuries to guard Carson York and free safety John Boyett, both fifth-year senior leaders.  

York hurt his right kneecap during Oregon’s 42-25 win over Fresno State last weekend.  He announced to reporters that he would undergo surgery on Tuesday and that his season was over.

Boyett revealed to his hometown newspaper earlier this week that he’ll need surgery to repair patellar tendons in both knees. The injury will end his career with the Ducks unless Oregon successfully petitions the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility. 

Boyett played in the season-opening victory over Arkansas State, but was in street clothes for last weekend’s victory over Fresno State. Because Oregon coach Chip Kelly does not talk about injuries, the extent of his knee problems was not known at the time. Junior Avery Patterson started in his place.

Boyett made 36 career starts, with 278 tackles and 10 interceptions. In last season’s Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, he had 17 tackles. 

“I’ve had a lingering injury that I played through all last year. The hope was, through different treatments and certain types of rehab during this past offseason, they would heal up and I’d be ready to go for my senior year,” Boyett said in a statement he read to the Napa Valley Register. “But unfortunately, it didn’t work out as planned. I’ve been dealing with a tremendous amount of pain for a long time.”

Boyett will have surgery on Wednesday. He said recovery is expected to take six months.  It’s likely he’ll be ready for the NFL draft.

York, who became a starter in 2009 and has played in 41 games for the Ducks, injured the same knee in last season’s Rose Bowl win and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. While the latest injury was to the same knee, York said that doctors told him the injuries were unrelated.

“Getting to represent the University of Oregon and everyone associated with it has truly been the greatest honor of my life,” York posted to Twitter.

Kelly said the team does not discuss injuries.

“When someone goes down, next guy goes in,” Kelly said. “That’s football.”

Also hurt during the game was junior receiver Josh Huff, who went down on a first-half kickoff return. Huff appeared to hurt his left knee and had to be helped off the field.

While he later walked unaided to the locker room, he came out on crutches in the second half.

After the game, Huff shrugged off the injury calling his absence from the rest of the game “precautionary.” While he said he planned to practice on Monday, he apparently did not. Oregon closes practices to the public and the media.

Oregon (2-0) host Tennessee Tech on Saturday night in the final non-conference game of the season.