Tomorrow’s matchup against Stanford has important ramifications for the No. 5 Oregon Ducks. A victory against their Pac-12 rival will likely thrust them into one of the playoff slots, while a loss will undeniably eliminate them from the national championship picture. You can bet that Mark Helfrich, Marcus Mariota, and the rest of Oregon’s team are highly motivated to end their two game losing streak against Stanford.
Although tomorrow’s matchup will likely cause an overhaul in the college football standings, there are a few Ducks that are on the brink of causing a major shakeup in the record books as well. Mariota’s accomplishments during his time at Oregon have been remarkable and Mariota, the Ducks’ star quarterback, is poised to etch his name in the record books yet again. He needs 13 touchdown passes to surpass Matt Leinart (99 TD passes, USC 2003-2005) on the all-time list for passing touchdowns in the Pac-12 conference. Also, Oregon’s Heisman candidate is only 375 passing yards shy of becoming the first Oregon quarterback to amass 9,000 career passing yards, a feat he will undoubtedly accomplish in the coming weeks.
Mariota Hands Off To Freeman
While the Ducks’ standout quarterback gets most of the recognition, there is one man who has flown under the radar, but it’s only a matter of time before the whole country knows about him. Royce Freeman, Oregon’s freshmen running back. He’s enormous, both figuratively and literally. The true freshmen has rushed for over 100 yards in the last three weeks and has solidified himself as Oregon’s top running back. He leads the Pac-12 with 13 rushing touchdowns and he is only two touchdowns away from becoming the Ducks’ all time leader in rushing touchdowns by a true freshmen. Furthermore, the Ducks’ leading rusher needs nine more touchdowns to surpass Kenjon Barner’s school record for most touchdowns in a season.
Top Photo by David Pyles
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My name is Omar Garibay and I am a journalism student at the University of Oregon. I was born and raised in Salem, Oregon and I have dreamed of living in Los Angeles since I was 14-years-old. My dream career would be to work for ESPN LA, The Los Angeles Times or as a beat writer for the Los Angeles Lakers or Dodgers. Twitter: @omargaribay8