Oregon Football: Rose Bowl Preview- Herbie’s Last Ride

The Rose Bowl is the perfect stage for Justin Herbert and the Oregon offense to put on a show.

There are a lot of sappy things that a homer like me can say—and have said—about the legacy of Justin Herbert. I’ve done that before, and I’ll do it again. But the 106th Rose Bowl Game is the blank canvas upon which Herbie will write his own final chapter.

The Captain of the Sheldon Fishing Club will have the opportunity to pick Wisconsin apart with his arm, but just like in the Oregon State and Utah games, the offense is going to be truly opened up by Herbie’s legs.

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It really doesn’t surprise me that Cristobal & Co. have been hesitant to let Justin run much at all this year. They have known that he has been an injury risk throughout his career, and they wanted to preserve him for the whole year and for his NFL future. But through these last couple of games, they’ve let Herbie loose like the majestic gazelle that he always has been.

I’m no innovative offensive mind, but I believe that a run-pass-option scheme is most effective when you actually believe that the quarterback is going to run. Who woulda thunk?

Okay, now that I’ve gotten my criticism out of the way.

I expect the Herbie Hustle to continue, if for no other reason but to continue to add a valuable wrinkle during the biggest game of the year. Wisconsin might expect to see it after watching film of the Wisconsin game, but that’s the beauty of the option. The Badgers will have to prepare for anything.

Herbie is going to run for the Roses. Nobody is scared of a potential injury anymore. He didn’t return for his Senior year to come this far and play it safe. NFL be damned (for now). It’s all about the Rose Bowl.

And after he’s done torching the Badgers with his feet, Justin will step back and attack Wiscy with his pro-ready arm.

If anyone remembers the 2012 Rose Bowl, you might remember Lavasier Tuinei putting on an absolute clinic on his way to becoming the offensive MVP in his last game as a Duck. And there’s something in my bones that tells me that Juwan Johnson might just go out with a performance like that too.

On a big stage, in a big stadium, Herbie will be looking for his big targets, and there’s just something special about lengthy senior Oregon receivers in that building.

Marcus Arroyo will surely pull out all the stops in his final game as the Oregon offensive coordinator, and he has been getting more and more comfortable going deep to both Juwan and JJ3 as the season has gone on.

His time in Eugene has been “controversial,” but the Rose Bowl will be Arroyo’s final play before taking off to Vegas. I can only imagine that he’ll go all in.

And for every game-breaking pass scheme, you can be sure that Cristobal will be eager to beat Wisconsin in the same way that the Ducks beat Utah. Pure, unapologetic power running.

RB1, CJ Verdell, is still rolling off of his 200+ game against Utah, and the nationally-decorated offensive line is rolling off the success they had in pounding the self-appointed “best defense in the conference.”

Wisconsin’s defense isn’t the same exact type of challenge as Utah, but Verdell is going to follow close behind Outland Trophy winner, Penei Sewell, and probably end up with another 200+ yards on the ground.

Something else to look out for in the Rose Bowl will be the availability of Mycah Pittman. Cristobal has said that he is practicing and may be healthy enough to play in Pasadena. It’d be pretty cool if he could.

Also, I would advise everyone to not be surprised if we happen to get a Patrick Herbert appearance. He can play in the Rose Bowl and still maintain his redshirt for this season, and seeing as how we still haven’t gotten a Justin-Patrick connection this year, it’s now or never.

Herbie’s last ride in Pasadena is going to be a lot of fun.

Go Ducks.

This is Part Two of my three-part Rose Bowl preview. Click here for Part One- Gang Green 2.0, and stay tuned for a brief glimpse at the Badgers & some last-minute game predictions.

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