Three breakout candidates for Oregon vs. Arizona

Oregon has seen a plethora of unsung heroes step up this season as it battles through a long list of injuries.

When the likes of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Justin Flowe, Dru Mathis, Bradyn Swinson, Mase Funa, and a bunch of others all miss time in a relatively condensed period, that’s a difficult hurdle to overcome.

But credit to Mario Cristobal’s program. Oregon has dug deep into the depth chart and received some incredible contributions from players who weren’t necessarily in the picture for major playing time when fall camp broke.

With a few key players still on the mend, it’s likely the Ducks will need to depend on roster depth again Saturday against Arizona. Here are three players who could deliver breakout performances against the Wildcats in Week 4.

Keith Brown

Oregon’s injury woes at weak-side linebacker have been devastating. At the start of the season, there was a question as to whether the Ducks would have enough reps to split among Flowe and Mathis.

Now, the Ducks are without both of them for the foreseeable future.

The good news is Oregon has Brown in the fold. The No. 114 recruit in the class of 2021, Brown has flown in a bit under the radar because the rest of Oregon’s haul from that class was so impressive. But he’s a really talented tackler who reads to the game well and has transformed his body since enrolling last winter.

As long as Brown remains healthy, he is going to be the guy at WLB. He played the majority of the snaps there at Ohio State and more than held his own. His confidence is only going to keep growing, and the Arizona game could be his coming-out party.

Mycah Pittman

It might be a bit of a stretch to tab Pittman as a breakout candidate. He’s had big games in the past, and his underwhelming stats don’t tell the full story of his season.

But Pittman will be the first to tell you he expects more out of himself than what he has put on tape in 2021.

He is Oregon’s most versatile receiver and is capable of excelling at all three positions. That will bode well for him against the Wildcats, who have one star cornerback in Roland Christian-Wallace but are devoid of talent elsewhere in the secondary.

No Oregon receiver has registered a 100-yard performance this season. On Saturday, Pittman could become the first by moving all over the field and exploiting holes in the Arizona defense.

Treven Ma’ae

Bradyn Swinson is one of Oregon’s breakout players of the season but is probably out for the Arizona game. So is Adrian Jackson. Kayvon Thibodeaux is a game-time decision.

That’s a whole lot of talent still missing on the edge for the Ducks. Last week, with all three of those players out, Tom DeRuyter leaned on Ma’ae, Jake Shipley, and Brandon Buckner to fill in.

All three players had nice moments. Buckner in particular has some massive contributions. On Saturday, I would bet on it being Ma’ae’s time to shine. He’s going to get plenty of run at the Joker spot, and he has the size and athleticism to punish an Arizona offensive line that has been downright terrible this season.