Here’s why Justin Herbert is the future of Ducks’ football

Oregon football has had an unusual season that left fans sadder than normal. Instead of working towards a PAC-12 title, the 4-7 Ducks have stumbled this year after working through injuries to important contributors. Even though it hasn’t been the season people expected, there have been some surprises along the way, one of which has been by true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Eugene native stepped into the Quarterback role in place of Dakota Prukop at the beginning of the season, and has since stepped up for the team. Nevertheless, he’s a big reason why Oregon football has a good chance to make a comeback in the coming seasons.

His stats are just the beginning.

According to goducks.com: “Herbert’s 12 TD passes in his first three starts matched the most TD passes in a three-game stretch in school history. He tied Marcus Mariota (2012) and Joey Harrington (2000).”

These numbers are a testament to Herbert’s confidence, as he doesn’t get rattled easily.

“You know those people who’ve got it. I’ve been around the game a long time and you just know he’s got it,” said Ducks tight end Pharaoh Brown.

Despite his rocky start the first couple of games in conference play against Washington and California, Herbert had a coming out party in the Homecoming game against Arizona State where Herbert threw 489 yards and four touchdowns in Oregon’s 54-35 win over the Sun Devils.

The Ducks continued its season, and after suffering a 52-27 loss to Stanford last weekend, the team was determined to rebound and make a run against No. 12 Utah on Saturday. Not only did they stun the Utes, they did it in style when Herbert threw a pass to wide receiver Darren Carrington with two seconds left in the game, giving Oregon a 30-28 lead.

His three touchdowns and 324 yards have given the Ducks a glimmer of hope – maybe he can turn around the program.

While he has a bright future that may be the face of the program, he will continue to improve over time. Needless to say, no one should be comparing him to the past Ducks – yet.

“I think we’ll have to push that back a little bit on the comparison for Marcus [Mariota] or Bill [Musgrave],” Helfrich said in an interview with ESPN.

Overall, Herbert has a golden future in the football program and should be a reason that gives fans hope for years to come.

“He’s going in the right direction,” Helfrich said. “We can’t anoint anybody anything at this point, but we like where he’s headed.”