All Eyes On Justin Herbert After Oregon Wins The Civil War

After a rocky four-week stretch that saw them lose three of their next five game after their thrilling win over the University of Washington in mid-October, the University of Oregon ended their 2018 regular season with their best foot forward, following up their win against Arizona State with their second-straight win against Oregon State, in the game colloquially referred to as “The Civil War.”

The Ducks’ 55-15 win over the Badgers was definitive if not resounding, but also pyrrhic: Oregon saw quarterback Justin Herbert get carted off the field. Thankfully for the Oregon faithful, multiple reports have come out stating that Herbert’s injury is little more than a bruised shoulder, which should be fully recovered in time for whatever bowl game Oregon is selected to play in.

Freshman running back CJ Verdell seemingly put the Oregon offense on his back with the absence of Herbert, accumulating 208 yards of total offense, and five total touchdowns. Verdell and fellow freshman running back Travis Dye spearheaded an Oregon rushing attack that accumulated 392 yards and six touchdowns on the ground against Oregon State. That’s the type of number that explains how the Ducks could win such a lopsided game, despite passing for only 118 yards in the game.

Verdell had three total touchdowns (two on the ground) less than 19 minutes into the game, helping Oregon race out to a 21-0 lead.

While Oregon was putting up a flurry of scores, Oregon State’s offense kept finding new ways to induce self-inflicted wounds, helping create such a huge deficit. Three of their first five drives of the game resulted in a turnover on downs, a missed field goal, and an interception; the other two drives ended in punts. By the time the Beavers finally got points on the board, in the form of a field goal just a few minutes before halftime, Oregon was already up by three scores.

Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith took his first loss in The Civil War game, and declared that such a performance would not be accepted as the standard at his program. But even he has to know the uphill battle he’s facing, trying to resurrect a program that had won seven total games in the prior three seasons.

On the Oregon side, the attention will now shift to the current and future status of Herbert. A highly coveted prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, there is a strong sentiment that he’ll return to Eugene for one more year, to play with his younger brother (the latter of who’ll be joining the Ducks next Fall).

The NFL types always say that once a player understands the risk-reward potential of declaring for the NFL Draft, they usually do so. But with Herbert’s previous medical history, he could do well to return to Eugene for a year and prove he’s able to stay healthy. There will be some concern from pro scouts, considering it’s the second-straight season in which Herbert suffered an injury to his shoulder area.

But also considering how severe the injury appeared to be during the game itself, this has to be seen as one of the best possible outcomes – at least if you’re a fan of the Ducks.