Oregon stays undefeated through non-conference play, but injuries are taking a toll on the Ducks
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After every football game, the hope is always the players come out of the contest relatively healthy. Oregon entered the Stony Brook game with a lot of key players dinged up, and though it looked like the Ducks were able to avoid any major injuries during the 48-7 win over the Seawolves, the injury bug continues to be an issue as the conference season begins.
Oregon’s quarterback Anthony Brown missed the second half due to a couple of big hits towards the end of the first half, but according to head coach Mario Cristobal, Brown should be on the field when the Ducks kickoff against Arizona on Saturday, thankfully.
“He took a pretty good shot there at the end of the half. We were just making sure he was okay,” Cristobal said. “We expect him to be okay and he looks good so we expect him to be healthy for the week.”
Backup quarterback Ty Thompson played admirably in the second half against Stony Brook, but Oregon will need their starting signal-caller moving forward.
Offensive lineman Steven Jones and wide receiver Troy Franklin were also injured, but fortunately for the Ducks, those two starters should be fine to practice this week in preparations for the Wildcats.
The Ducks did hold out a few players that went down against Ohio State, but the good news is players such as linebackers Keith Brown and Bradyn Swinson could have played in an emergency situation. It’s good they got an extra seven days of rest as the conference is now upon them.
Two names Oregon fans are wondering about are of course defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and linebacker Mace Funa.
“Mace is looking like he’s good to go. We held a lot of guys but it wasn’t just to hold guys. We felt it was best for them, for their health and going into Pac-12 play now,” said Cristobal. “Every week is a playoff game. We felt to get to the health we need to that it was best to rest them tonight.”
Thibodeaux probably could have been on the field this past week, but it would have been silly to risk further injury to their star defender. Oregon was likely going to beat Stony Brook with or without him and they’re going to need Thibodeaux for the long haul.
Oregon has had its issues with the injury bug and to come out of non-conference play despite the health issues is a big plus going forward. But the Ducks need to mend.
“I would like to be healthier, I think we all know that. We are missing some pieces, but it’s football and we’re going,” Cristobal said.
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