Despite taking down Portland State 84-0 a week after suffering an upset loss at the hands of Oklahoma State, No. 21 Oregon did so without some key players on offense Friday night.
Both top wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan and starting tight end Jamari Johnson sat out with injuries during what was a historic night for the Ducks' offense -- the 84 points is a single-game scoring record at home for the program.
Prior to kickoff Friday, cameras showed McClellan warming up before the game in pads, but once he emerged on the sidelines after kickoff, he was not dressed in uniform, wore a boot on his left foot and was on crutches.
"Got tweaked in pregame, have to get an evaluation to see what exactly that looks like," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the game. "I don't know right at this moment."
McClellan was the standout of the Ducks' season-opening win over Boise State, catching six passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. But in the loss to Oklahoma State, McClellan caught only one pass for 20 yards.
McClellan's injury comes at a time when the Ducks' talented group of pass-catchers is also dealing with an injury to star tight end Johnson. The senior from Inglewood also began the year by finding the end zone once against the Broncos.
Johnson sat out last week's loss in Stillwater with an undisclosed injury and though he was on the field for pregame warmups (though not in pads), he also did not see any action against Portland State.
Through three games, the injury bug appears to have bit the Ducks. Earlier this week, Lanning also announced that offensive lineman Trent Ferguson would be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Oregon had no problem dispatching Portland State (now 0-4), but tougher competition awaits. The Ducks head to Los Angeles next week to face off against USC in a matchup that could have a sizable ramification, not just in Big Ten play but also in the race for the College Football Playoff.
"We have a better team," Lanning said Friday of how his team rebounded. "And no disrespect for Portland State, but that's the way it should look when we execute the way we should execute."