Oregon Football has a Starter in Quarterback Justin Herbert, but the backup role this season may be Freshman Tyler Shough.
Justin Herbert spent part of last season watching from the sideline after opening the season at 6-1. Herbert, a Eugene Native did well early in 2017 before going down with a broken clavicle and keeping him off the field until the Bowl Game loss against Boise State. Braxton Burmeister was the lone Quarterback that was ‘game ready’ at the time. In a backup role, he showed his inexperience more than the passing phenom he was in California that brought him to Eugene.
Entering Spring Camp, incoming Freshman Tyler Shough proved he was capable of playing Quarterback. He had several passes in the Spring Game that were on a rope to Wide Receivers and one that was a touchdown that had some arm strength behind it. For Burmeister, what happened last season was not all his fault. The Coaching Staff did take the blame for not having him ready. He seemed hesitant to throw the ball and showed inaccuracy when making his downfield reads.
The Offseason goal was to get better. In watching Spring Ball I saw an improvement in his arm strength. He has now had a full offseason with Oregon Football Coaches and full-time access to the Training Facility and Weight Room. Last season what a lot of fans don’t remember is that a year earlier, Braxton Burmeister was throwing to his High School Teammates. There is a transition that did not happen before he was thrown in as Starter.
Entering 2018, the team will be more prepared at the position. Of course, it did not help that the capable backups at Quarterback last season decided to Transfer before Fall Camp began.
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Oregon Football opens the 2018 Season hosting Bowling Green on Saturday, September 1st at 5 pm Pacific Time on Pac-12 Network.