It has been over six weeks since quarterback Justin Herbert fractured his collarbone against California, and one question remains unanswered: Will Herbert be playing on Saturday against Arizona?

According to head coach Willie Taggart on Monday, he’s “getting really close,” but Taggart jokingly said he won’t make an official decision until 3:59 p.m. on Saturday, one minute before kickoff against Arizona.

“Justin’s doing well,” Taggart said. “His bone is healing really well. Had a good week of practice last week. Had a good practice yesterday. …  Probably get another X-ray, see where he is and hopefully he’s ready to roll.”

Taggart said that if it were up to Herbert, he “would have been playing three weeks ago,” healed collarbone or not.

Since Herbert went down, true freshman Braxton Burmeister has taken over the reins. During his time as starting QB, Burmeister has undoubtedly struggled throwing the ball. However, Herbert’s absence has allowed Burmeister to get the first team snaps throughout practice, and he has improved steadily, even winning a game as a starter against Utah.

“With Justin, he can run the entire offense,” Taggart said. “With Braxton, he’s getting there. He didn’t have the luxury of going through spring ball, getting all the reps and going through training camp and getting all the reps.”

There’s no question that having Herbert start on Saturday would change the Ducks’ offense completely, but Oregon has another quarterback to watch out for: Arizona’s Khalil Tate.

The dual-threat quarterback may be more of a dynamic runner, but he can still throw the ball.

“He’s pretty good at what they ask him to do,” Taggart said. “They only ask him to throw it 20, 30 times a game. The way they run the football, they don’t have to — again, it’s option football. But when they do ask him to throw, he’s pretty effective with that as well.”

What does Taggart say they need to do to contain Tate?

“Pray.”

“No one’s stopped him yet this year,” Taggart said. “He’s a heck of a talent.”

In addition to praying, Taggart emphasized discipline, wrapping up on tackles, running to the ball and, “the most important thing,” getting lined up.

“A lot of the big plays they make, the defense isn’t aligned right,” Taggart said. “Part of it is because of tempo — they aren’t getting set up. I don’t think you can complicate things trying to defend him.”

With two game left in the regular season and the Ducks’ needing to win one of those two games to be bowl eligible, they have a lot to play for. At this point last season, the Ducks were 3-7, without the chance of going to a bowl game.

“We have a lot to play for,” Taggart said. “That’s credit to our players for putting our football team in a situation where this time of year you’re still playing for something. … Even though we’ve had some bumps along the way, we’ve still got a chance to do some things.”

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As the old saying goes: “Defense wins championships.”

Oregon head coach Dana Altman had a similar sentiment after the Ducks won 70-54 in a lackluster performance against Coppin State on Friday, specifically struggling on the defensive side of the ball.

“I think the offense will come,” Altman said. “I think our ball movement will improve; we’ll execute some things. But I’m much more concerned whether we take our defense seriously.”

Oregon held Coppin State to just 14 points during the first half, shooting 4-for-28. But any hint of defensive prowess that the Ducks possessed faded during the second half as they allowed the Coppin Bald Eagles to cut the deficit to as few as 10 points.

“Defensively the second half was terrible,” sophomore Payton Pritchard said. “Right now, defensively, we’re struggling. A team like that — we shouldn’t be struggling like that inside.”

Last season, Coppin State was 8-24. They often lost by double digits, losing by as much as 52 points against Georgetown.

Pritchard also emphasized the Ducks’ lack of steals, while on the other side of the ball they were getting the ball stolen from them.

“I think one possession we almost turned the ball over four times,” he said.    

The Ducks had just four steals. Coppin State recorded six.

This new Oregon team is made up of seven new players, including five true freshmen. With so many key players from last year’s Final Four team gone, including Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher — Oregon’s first and second all-time leading shot blockers — this year’s team has some big shoes to fill defensively. Pritchard says that without Bell and Boucher on the inside, on-ball defense “has to be tremendous.”

Besides Roman Sorkin’s team-leading 23 points and Troy Brown’s 18 points, the Ducks didn’t have much of an offensive presence, either. But Altman isn’t worried about that.

“There wasn’t much communication, and we gave up a lot of easy shots,” Altman said. “Offensively our ball movement wasn’t very good the second half. We weren’t well organized. I think we can do that because the guys want to do that, but defensively we’ve got to have some volunteers to step up and start guarding.”

With a team full of offensive-minded athletes, Altman says that the Ducks have to change their mindset going forward and focus on the defensive fundamentals.

“Take it seriously,” Altman said. “We’ve got to guard. We’ve got a locker full of guys, 13 guys on the bench, right now who all consider themselves — their first goal is to score. Until we get some guys that place as much emphasis on the defensive end and on the rebounding — some guys that are willing to step up and be defenders first — I think we’ll struggle.”

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Ugo Amadi has played in every game for the Oregon football team since he arrived on campus in 2015. His versatility has allowed him to help out wherever he is needed throughout the Oregon secondary.

Amadi is listed as cornerback on the official roster, but he played safety against UCLA earlier this season and often plays nickelback — a fifth defensive back.

“I feel like I can play anywhere on the field, so me being that dynamic helps the team out a lot,” Amadi said.

Against UCLA, and in the safety position for the first time, Amadi recorded a career-high nine total tackles and forced a fumble. Not a bad day in a new position, but Amadi has continued to make game-changing plays since then.  

In the Ducks’ 41-20 win over Utah, Amadi made arguably one of the most memorable plays of the season. Oregon was up by just a touchdown when Amadi, who was playing nickleback, lined up against former-Duck Darren Carrington. Carrington caught a pass and Amadi immediately hit him, and he did more than just make the tackle. Amadi stripped the ball from Carrington and took it back 47 yards for a touchdown. It was Amadi’s second fumble recovery of the season and the Ducks’ eighth as a team.

Taggart continually emphasized the importance of stripping the ball and getting those must-have takeaways. Amadi was able to make it happen in a big way and help shift the momentum of the game.

“Takeaways are huge; takeaways clean up a mess,” Amadi said. “Being able to make those types of plays will help out the defense whenever we’re in a sticky situation as a team overall in the game.”

Rotating through different positions may seem difficult, but the Oregon coaching staff puts an emphasis on understanding different positions. Amadi was prepared when the change came.  

“He’s a young man that can cover, and he’s a willing tackler,” safeties coach Keith Heyward said. “He does a lot for us … The way that we coach, all the guys have to understand the different positions and how they play. It’s good that we’re able to do that, because we’re going to need them.”

Amadi found the transition to be “pretty smooth.” He also added that at both safety and nickleback, you must be able to anticipate and communicate.

“I already knew the defense,” Amadi said. “It was just lining up at a different position and knowing that I had to fit in the run, and I have to be able to run to the ball, because I’m like halfway in the middle of the field.”

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Last week against Utah, the Ducks ended their second-half woes, scoring 24 points in the second half alone. Tonight, against the northern-rival Washington Huskies, Oregon reverted back to its old ways, not scoring any points during the second half to lose, 38-3, in Seattle.

Key Plays

— Ducks convert three third downs on the opening drive, capped off by a 30-yard field goal. Oregon leads 3-0.

— 45-yard field goal is no good from Washington’s Tristan Vizcaino after Ducks defense holds Huskies following a 46-yard Jake Browning pass.

— Vizcaino makes up for his earlier miss with a 34-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

— Dante Pettis scores on a 64-yard punt return, breaking the NCAA record for punt-return touchdowns with the ninth of his career. It’s also his fourth of the season, and it extends Washington’s lead to 10-3.

— Myles Gaskin cuts through the Ducks’ defense to score on a 34-yard run to give the Huskies a 17-3 lead.

— Pettis strikes again. He connects with Browning on a 47-yard touchdown reception.

— Lavon Coleman catches a 31-yard touchdown pass to put Washington up 31-3.

— Salvon Ahmed runs for a 58-yard touchdown to extend the Huskies’ lead even more, Washington up 38-3.

Oregon passing

— Braxton Burmeister: 7-of-13 for 31 yards

Oregon rushing

— Royce Freeman: 24 carries for 122 yards

— Burmeister: 14 carries for 38 yards

Oregon receiving

— Charles Nelson: Four receptions for 18 yards

Washington passing

— Jake Browning: 11-of-19 for 204 yards, two touchdowns and one interception

Washington rushing

— Myles Gaskin: 17 carries for 123 yards and one touchdown

— Salvon Ahmed: Six carries for 84 yards and one touchdown

— Lavon Coleman: 12 carries, 31 yards

Washington receiving

— Dante Pettis: Four receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown

— Aaron Fuller: Four receptions for 76 yards

Total offense

Oregon — 278 yards (31 passing, 247 rushing)

Washington — 451 yards (204 passing, 247 rushing)

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Taj Griffin / Wide Receiver / Oregon

Head coach Willie Taggart mentioned that he wants to get Griffin more involved in the offense during his press conference on Monday. “We’ve got to continue to find ways to get him the ball,” Taggart said. “The kid is very talented and electrifying when he has the ball in his hands.” Taj has been both a slot receiver and a running back for the Ducks this season. But with the strong backfield of Royce Freeman, Tony Brooks-James and Kani Benoit, Griffin has primarily been in the slot position. He had his best performance early in the year against Wyoming, combining for 55 yards of offense, including a receiving touchdown.

Myles Gaskin / Running back / Washington

A first team All-Pac-12 in 2016, Gaskin tallied 169 rushing yards against UCLA last week. He is currently sixth in the Pac-12 in average rushing yards per game at 99.4. Gaskin has scored nine rushing and two receiving touchdowns for the Huskies in their 11 games, so be on the lookout for him in the endzone.

Arrion Springs / Cornerback / Oregon

Springs had three total tackles and three broken up passes in the Ducks’ win over Utah, and he currently leads the Pac-12 with 14 passes broken up. Going against the Huskies’ volatile offense, the senior  will have many chances to be a game changer in the Oregon secondary. Washington also leads the Pac-12 in total defense, allowing just 236.2 yards of offense per game, so the Ducks need Springs and the rest of the secondary to have a big game if they are going to stand a chance.

Dante Pettis / Wide Receiver / Washington

Pettis leads the Pac-12 with three punt return touchdowns this season. He is also tied for the NCAA record in career punt returns with eight. With the Oregon offense rarely sustaining long drives, Pettis could have more opportunities to make something happen on special teams. The senior wide receiver also has 484 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns this season, so he is a legitimate target for Washington quarterback Jake Browning as well.  

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Last season, Oregon football’s last-minute win against No. 12 Utah was a high point for a season that was going downhill. This year, it was a similar story, but with a brighter light at the end of the tunnel.

The Ducks took down the Utah Utes 41-20 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak and scored for the first time in the second half since Sept. 30 — and 24 points at that.

Head coach Willie Taggart said Friday he showed the team their second-half stats from Pac-12 play. He again reminded them during halftime on Saturday.

“Rather than talk about it, put it up and let them see it for themselves,” Taggart said.

The team responded, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal during the second half alone.

“We took it as a challenge offensively just to go out there prove that we could put up points in the second half,” running back Royce Freeman said.

Quarterback Braxton Burmeister got on the board early for the Ducks, connecting with tight end Cam McCormick for a 5-yard touchdown with 9:55 remaining in the first quarter.

From there, the Oregon defense stepped up like it’s had to do all season. It held the Utes to two field goals inside the 30-yard line during the first half. That included a play from Arrion Springs to break up a pass intended for his former teammate, Darren Carrington.

Following the first of two Aidan Schneider field goals, cornerback Ugo Amadi stripped Carrington and returned the fumble for a 47-yard touchdown.

“It was huge,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “… Typically we are the ones making those plays, so that was a big play of the game. Credit them for making it, they stripped it, they scooped it, they scored. It was a big change in momentum.”

The Ducks went into the locker room up 17-6 at halftime.

Utah scored early on one of two SportsCenter Top-10-esque plays of the game. Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley’s pass was tipped by the Oregon defensive line and then caught by Utah offensive lineman Darrin Paulo, who was lying on the ground, for the touchdown.

Then, Burmeister pitched the ball to Charles Nelson on a reverse. Nelson avoided a tackle and stayed on his feet while connecting with Jacob Breeland for a 22-yard touchdown.

“I was screaming ‘run, run, run,’” Taggart said. “Charles has been saying all week … The one thing he hadn’t done that he wanted to do was throw a touchdown.”

Nelson said that they had practiced that play once on Tuesday, but when he heard the play called, he was excited.

“As a receiver who never gets to throw a pass and nobody ever lets me throw a pass, it felt really good,” Nelson said. “It might have been my best touchdown here yet.”

Running backs Tony Brooks-James and Kani Benoit each scored before the end of the game, while Freeman didn’t score for the fifth consecutive game.

Despite the lack of touchdowns, Freeman ran for 139 yards and surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season for the third year straight. He also became the first Oregon football player with 6,000 all-purpose yards.

The Ducks will now head to Seattle to take on No. 12 Washington on Nov. 4. Last year, the Ducks were blown out at home, 70-21, against the Huskies in Justin Herbert’s first start as a Duck. With Herbert not drinking “candy-ass milk,” but “his vitamin-C milk,” according to Taggart, the Ducks could see him back sooner rather than later.

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