Oregon's Anthony Brown "good to go" for Ducks' Pac-12 opener
Mario Cristobal delivered some good news on the injury front Wednesday.
Starting quarterback Anthony Brown is healthy and will play Saturday against Arizona. Ditto for a handful of other key Oregon contributors.
“He’s good to go,” Cristobal said when asked about Brown’s status.
Cristobal said receiver Troy Franklin, linebacker Keith Brown, offensive tackle Steven Jones, and linebacker Mase Funa are also good to go.
Edge rusher Bradyn Swinson is the only player Cristobal referred to as “doubtful.”
The one looming injury question that remains is the status of star edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. He has not played since Week 1, and Oregon defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said Tuesday that Thibodeaux told him before Oregon’s Week 3 matchup with Stony Brook that he wanted to play.
But trainers had not cleared him yet.
“KT is really improving,” Cristobal said Monday. “I hate to still be kind of out there not knowing, but it’s close. We’re getting real close. So we’re very encouraged by what we see there.”
The healthy return of those aforementioned players could be a tremendous boost for the Ducks as they head into Pac-12 play. But Cristobal acknowledged that even with that group coming back, there are still plenty of injury absences throughout the two-deep.
“I wouldn’t say we’re at full power now. We’re missing a lot of guys who are really, really good football players,” Cristobal said. “You want guys at practice extensively. Because that’s when they’re really good — that’s when they bring a lot of value to the table.
“But it is encouraging.”
Oregon is still without linebackers Dru Mathis and Justin Flowe, and will be for the foreseeable future.
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That injury void has been partially filled by the likes of Jeffrey Bassa and Jabril McNeill — two players who recently moved to inside linebacker after starting preseason camp elsewhere.
The healthy return of Brown will be welcome news for the Ducks.
The true freshman and former 4-star signee from nearby Lebanon, Oregon, is now at the top of the depth chart at weak-side linebacker. He played well there at Ohio State in Week 2, when he was making his college debut, but left that game with a cramp.
Brown was in uniform for the Stony Brook game but was held out as a precaution.
“The most important thing is practicing hard and practicing at a certain level and that’s what we’re going to keep emphasizing — the preparation,” Cristobal said. “All focus is on that. Conference play has begun and we know how that is.
“Every single week is a playoff game; every single one. Everybody has good players and everybody is capable of making plays.
“Everybody is capable of beating anybody. I think we clearly understand that. We’re trying to drive it home relentlessly.”
