CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon won the Civil War on Friday, but right now the Ducks must wait to see what the future holds.
CJ Verdell had 208 yards of total offense and five touchdowns to lead Oregon past rival Oregon State 55-15 at Reser Stadium, but the Ducks lost quarterback Justin Herbert in the first half, and his status for the bowl game is in doubt.
“Justin took a shot on a sack, and we won’t know (his status and extent of the injury) until we get back,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “It didn’t seem like too big of a shot, but enough that we had to keep him out and check on him a little bit more extensively.”
The Ducks are thin at quarterback behind Herbert, with sophomore Braxton Burmeister and freshman Tyler Shough.
Both backups entered the game Friday, with Shough handing off to run out the clock in the first half after Herbert apparently injured his right shoulder, and Burmeister playing in the second half.
With the wet weather and success running the ball, Oregon had a conservative game plan with Burmeister in the second half — he completed one of just two passes for 16 yards. As a team, the Ducks rushed for 392 yards.
“That makes my job super easy,” Burmeister said. “I’m turning and handing the ball off to the running back and watching him go.”
In addition to Verdell’s success, the Ducks also got 203 total yards of offense and two touchdowns from running back Travis Dye.
“It means a lot to me, of course,” Verdell said about his performance. “Especially for the Oregon Duck community. Being able, in this rivalry game, to score five touchdowns is a big deal.”
Despite the loss of Herbert, the Civil War went better for the Ducks than the last time they played in Corvallis, when they lost 34-24 in what turned out to be the last game under coach Mark Helfrich.
Oregon finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record, including 5-4 in the Pac-12, both the best for the Ducks since 2015.
Oregon now will wait to learn its bowl game destination and opponent.
Several projections before the Civil War had the Ducks playing Dec. 31 in either the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, or the Redbox Bowl at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Oregon has a chance to end the season with a three-game winning streak and finish with nine victories. That would be a boost heading into the offseason, particularly on the recruiting trail, where they have already seen some success for the 2019 class — the Ducks rank fourth in the nation.
“We wanted to start fast, and we started fast, and the momentum kept building,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “Proud of our guys.”