Season In Review: Quarterback
01/03/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Justin Herbert established himself as a star in his sophomore campaign, but a midseason injury catapulted true freshman Braxton Burmeister into the starting job for five games.
Reviewing Oregon's 2017 season and looking ahead to spring drills
DEPTH CHART
QB: Justin Herbert, So.; Braxton Burmeister, Fr.; Taylor Alie, RSr.; Demetri Burch, Fr.; Mike Irwin, Fr.
Starter: Eugene native Justin Herbert ascended to the starting job as a true freshman in 2016 and proved himself worthy of keeping it during the offseason under new head coach Willie Taggart. Herbert had the Ducks flying high through five games, off to a 4-1 start while completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 1,264 yards and nine touchdowns, with two interceptions. But his season – and that of the Ducks – was thrown off track by a collarbone injury suffered in the September finale against Cal. Herbert didn't return until mid-November, when he got the good vibes flowing again by directing wins over Arizona and Oregon State, before throwing two interceptions in the Las Vegas Bowl that encapsulated just how out of whack the Ducks were that week.
With Herbert on the shelf, true freshman Braxton Burmeister was called upon to start five games. Once pegged as fifth-string in 2017, the trajectory of Burmeister's season changed dramatically after the loss of two transfers and the untimely injury to senior reserve Taylor Alie after he replaced Herbert in the Cal game. Burmeister was on track to redshirt, getting scant practice reps as the No. 3 quarterback in September, before being thrust into the No. 1 job to cap off the win over Cal and into October. He and the UO offense as a whole needed a couple of weeks to stabilize themselves – against ranked teams no less, WSU and Stanford. But Burmeister showed positive signs in leading Oregon to a halftime tie before losing at UCLA, then broke through for a victory over Utah at home to close out October. Burmeister finished the year 44-of-77 for 330 yards and two touchdowns, with six interceptions, and also ran for three scores. The trial by fire was no doubt tough to endure, but his long-term development should benefit greatly from the game experience.
Reserves: A major "what if?" from the 2017 season remains how Oregon might have fared had Alie not also been hurt in the Cal game. He was unavailable the next week against Washington State, by which point the UO offense had been hitched to Burmeister's saddle. In limited action, Alie completed 70 percent of his passes for 134 yards with an interception, and presumably his veteran presence could have helped stabilize the offense sooner in the absence of Herbert.
Redshirts: The fact Alie also was unavailable after Herbert went down prompted the coaching staff at midseason to move dynamic athlete Demetri Burch from receiver to quarterback, where he'd previously taken a few reps during training camp. Burch made a huge impact during the two weeks prior to the Arizona game, mimicking Wildcats QB Khalil Tate on the scout team; after the win, teammates spoke of his impact being as great as those who actually participated in the game. That performance helped prompt Taggart to say Burch figured to remain in the picture at QB going forward; it remains to be seen how Burch will be utilized under Mario Cristobal. The Ducks also redshirted walk-on Mike Irwin, who ran the scout-team offense the rest of the season.
SPRING PROJECTION
QB: Justin Herbert, Jr.; Braxton Burmeister, So.; Demetri Burch, RFr.; Tyler Shough, Fr.; Mike Irwin, RFr.
What to watch: The continued development of Herbert will be fun to watch, and already he's getting some buzz as a Heisman Trophy candidate for 2018. He's got a big frame, a cannon for an arm and is sneaky athletic, which he showed on a 40-yard rushing touchdown against Arizona. Herbert's position coach, Marcus Arroyo, is now also the Ducks' primary offensive coordinator, and so it will be interesting to see what schematic tweaks he employs to best suit his quarterback. The Ducks also have added a freshman, Tyler Shough, who signed in December with plans to enroll early and participate in spring practice. Standing 6-foot-5, and weighing about 200 pounds, Shough was one of the top five pro-style quarterback recruits in the country, and his presence has the potential to shake up the depth chart in April.
