The Oregon Ducks’ 45-24 win over the California Golden Bears on Saturday came with a steep price. After Oregon’s offense was steamrolled to a 17-0 lead, in the second quarter, starting quarterback Justin Herbert went down with a broken collarbone. Many know of this injury because of how it impacted Tony Romo. I’d guess that he’ll miss anywhere from 4-6 weeks. This is a tough break for the sophomore who was completing 68 percent of his passes and was playing mistake-free football only committing three turnovers.
So now what? You could point to the senior Taylor Alie. He hasn’t started a game, but for what it’s worth, he’s got the most experience with a total of 34 pass attempts. Sounds like Jeff Lockie to me (I cringed typing that). There’s one huge hiccup with him being the next man up; he left Saturday’s game with what looked like a concussion.
So we’ll pose the question again; what now? Duck fans meet your QB of the future, Braxton Burmeister. He made a brief appearance after Alie went down Saturday night. The freshmen from La Jolla, a suburb right outside of San Diego, was a highly sought after 4-star recruit. He was originally committed to Arizona before Taggart waived his magic wand a few weeks before signing day.
If you look at his tape a few things pop out. First, he comes from a spread system in high school and he seems more comfortable running than throwing. He’s got some Jeremiah Masoli explosiveness in him. That’s not to say he can’t spin it; he’s got a lively arm and throws a tight spiral. He’ll more than likely be the starter against a Washington State team riding high after its upset against USC. I’d look for a heavy dose for zone read and slant, hitch and go route combinations on Saturday. When asked about the freshmen Kani Benoit said, “I think he’s pretty confident in himself and his talent.” With that in mind I don’t think he’ll be gun shy.
