A season that started with so much promise has gone off the rails for the Oregon Ducks, with the team sitting at 4-3, heading into the final game of October on Saturday. Injuries to the likes of Dante Moore, Jeremiah McClellan, and Aaron Flowers have left the team shorthanded, looking for answers deeper down the depth chart. Heading into Saturday's matchup, the Ducks will be without freshman wide receiver Messiah Hampton.
Oregon ruled Hampton out for last weekend's game against Illinois, and he appeared to be trending toward a return. Then on Friday Night, Hampton was listed as out for the game after avoiding the report all week, and the likely reason why has been revealed.
Oregon Freshman WR Messiah Hampton arrested
On Friday Night, reports surfaced that freshman wide receiver Messiah Hampton was arrested by the Springfield police. Hampton is charged with two felony counts of attempting to elude police in a car and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving, according to the KEZI report.
According to Ryan Clarke of Oregonlive.com, the arrest stems from a high-speed chase in Springfield early in the morning on October 18th. The 18th is the same date that Evan Stewart was arrested for a DUII, following the win late on the 17th over Nebraska.
BREAKING: Oregon WR Messiah Hampton was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of reckless driving and eluding police.
— Ryan Clarke (@RyanTClarke) October 31, 2026
The arrest stems from a high-speed chase in Springfield early Oct. 18 involving two vehicles. The second driver has yet to be identified. https://t.co/CsQRlvFzMK
Given that the news broke late on Friday Night, Oregon Ducks fans won't hear any update from Dan Lanning until after the Northwestern game on Saturday.
Messiah Hampton was having a breakout season as a true freshman with 18 catches for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Ducks. Hampton stepped up when Jeremiah McClellan was lost for an extended stretch with his injury, and Oregon will now have to look for someone to fill the void left behind by Hampton until McClellan is able to return to the lineup.
The Oregon Ducks offense has struggled to find any rhythm without Dante Moore, and being without additional weapons is only going to make matters worse. The Ducks are bringing in a new offensive coordinator this weekend after firing Drew Mehringer, and not having Hampton isn't going to help make Jay Johnson's job any easier. Jalen Lott and Evan Stewart will seemingly rejoin the offense this weekend after missing the Illinois game, but Hampton developing down the stretch was going to be key for the Ducks' future.
This story will be updated as additional information is made available.
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