Oregon has quickly turned things around under first-year head coach Willie Taggart, but the Ducks got some bad news this week when they learned starting quarterback Justin Herbert will be out for an extended period of time with a broken collarbone. Thanks to attrition on the roster over the past few years, the Ducks only have a few options to fill Herbert’s shoes heading into the toughest part of their 2017 schedule.
So who are the candidates to do that and how were they ranked as recruits? We take a look back at the Ducks' options and also revisit some “What If?” scenarios about former Ducks who are now elsewhere.
Taylor Alie
AP Images
A local prospect from Eugene’s Sheldon High School, Alie walked on with the Ducks in 2013 and wasn’t ranked by Rivals.com as a prospect. By his redshirt freshman season, he worked his way onto the field as a holder and in 2015 he saw time when starter Vernon Adams went down with an injury, helping the Ducks to a road victory at Colorado. In 2016, Alie kept his job as a holder but didn’t see any time at quarterback and also spent time practicing as a wide receiver. When Taggart and company came to town, Alie was given the opportunity to compete for the backup job to Herbert and won the job during fall camp, seeing mop up duty before coming in for an injured Herbert in Saturday’s victory over Cal before leaving the game with an injury of his own. Alie is healthy and practicing this week, but Taggart has stopped short of naming him the starter for this weekend’s game against Washington State.
You can read the complete article here.
So who are the candidates to do that and how were they ranked as recruits? We take a look back at the Ducks' options and also revisit some “What If?” scenarios about former Ducks who are now elsewhere.
Taylor Alie
AP Images
A local prospect from Eugene’s Sheldon High School, Alie walked on with the Ducks in 2013 and wasn’t ranked by Rivals.com as a prospect. By his redshirt freshman season, he worked his way onto the field as a holder and in 2015 he saw time when starter Vernon Adams went down with an injury, helping the Ducks to a road victory at Colorado. In 2016, Alie kept his job as a holder but didn’t see any time at quarterback and also spent time practicing as a wide receiver. When Taggart and company came to town, Alie was given the opportunity to compete for the backup job to Herbert and won the job during fall camp, seeing mop up duty before coming in for an injured Herbert in Saturday’s victory over Cal before leaving the game with an injury of his own. Alie is healthy and practicing this week, but Taggart has stopped short of naming him the starter for this weekend’s game against Washington State.
You can read the complete article here.
