Braxton Burmeister Not The Only Reason Ducks Are Lacking On Offense
Oregon Football Freshman Quarterback Braxton Burmeister showed improvement vs UCLA.
Head Coach Willie Taggart is bringing along Burmeister at a pace the Freshman can handle. For fans expecting perfection against Washington State, Stanford, and UCLA you need to take a step back and realize that this season started with high expectations, but has fallen into a big-time learning experience for the future of the Program.
The three-game losing streak is a stretch that was brought on by a key injury. Taggart said that Oregon has been able to move the ball, they did well against UCLA, to a point, “The most frustrating thing right now is that we do move the ball, we’re making some plays and then cross the 50 yard line for some reason we’re just having a brain fart and not executing plays we know we’re capable of doing.”
For Burmeister, it was an improvement from last week. He threw completed passes and ran for two touchdowns and is coming along according to Taggart, “Pretty much what I expect any true freshman to come in without any reps expect for them to be. We need for him to just continue to improve and more importantly not turn the football over…I think overall he’s gonna play better. “
One thing that stood out to me was that last year this time, Burmeister was Quarterbacking his High School team, “This time last year he was playing High School games so he hasn’t had a whole year in the weight room. We gotta make sure we keep guys off of him and not pile up on him.” While he has been able to use his legs to escape Burmeister has shown he can take a hit an get right back up. The Offensive Line needs to do better protecting him.
One aspect of the Passing game that Burmeister will have to work on is the explosion plays that Oregon had early in the season. Taggart may try to work a play or two into the playbook with Burmeister, “That’s one thing that we’re lacking is explosive plays in the passing game and we have to find ways to get those.”
Taggart hinted that Burmeister will get at least another start with Justin Herbert still recovering from a fractured collarbone three weeks ago. The experience on the field each week is showing Burmeister what he has to do at this level to compete, which coming in you can’t really get a handle on in practice. The dividends will pay off.
Next: Bell, Brooks Meet Up In Memphis
Oregon Football returns home to face the Utah Utes on Saturday(2:45 pm Pacific Time, Pac-12 Network)
Quotes obtained firsthand at Oregon Football Media Availability on Monday