Mario Cristobal provides Oregon injury updates following loss at Utah
Oregon hasn’t had much in the way of positive news in regards to injuries lately.
But Mario Cristobal delivered some Monday.
Verone McKinley III, the Ducks’ starting safety and the leader of their defense should be good to go for Oregon’s rivalry matchup with Oregon State this Saturday.
McKinley III suffered an apparent injury late in the second quarter of the Ducks’ loss at Utah and headed back to the locker room early. He did not return to the game.
Oregon’s play suffered mightily without McKinley III, who is one of the top defensive playmakers in the nation and also is responsible for helping get the defense set up pre-snap.
Aside from McKinley III, there isn’t much new in the way of injury news. Starting quarterback Anthony Brown took quite a few hits against the Utes and appeared to have his left leg bent back at an awkward angle midway through the game.
He looked to be in pain during his postgame press conference but insisted that injuries weren’t an excuse for Oregon’s poor performance. Cristobal said Monday that Brown will play.
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“Our quarterback is healthy,” Cristobal said. “We’ve planned some really good stuff up until this last game. We will continue working on putting together our best game plan to play better. We didn’t do a good enough job last game.”
Tight end DJ Johnson is still day-to-day, Cristobal said. Ryan Walk, Steve Stephens IV, and Keyon Ware-Hudson are still dealing with injuries and will not be able to play against the Beavers.
Freshman quarterback Robby Ashford did not make the trip to Salt Lake City, and walk-on Bradley Yaffe was the fourth quarterback on the field for the Ducks during pregame warmups.
Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead said Ashford did not travel with the team because he is dealing with a minor injury.
