Oregon Football: Justin Herbert throws name back in Heisman race vs. Nevada

Justin Herbert put together a big bounce-back performance, leading Oregon football to a commanding victory over Nevada.

A week after falling to Auburn in one of the premier matchups of Week 1, the Ducks posted a 77-6 throttling of Nevada back home behind Herbert.

While some might have gone ahead and thrown the star quarterback to the side in regards to the Heisman race, there is no denying that Herbert put himself at least back on the edge of it all after this game.

The 6-foot-6 senior from Eugene delighted the hometown crowd, completing 19 of 26 passes for 310 yards and five touchdowns. Did this come against a helpless defense in the Wolf Pack? Of course it did, but it was still quite the sight to see.

Look at it like this for a minute. Through two games, including one against a vaunted defense from the Southeastern Conference, Herbert has completed 47 of his 63 passes for over 550 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Is he going to continue to put up these kind of numbers without throwing picks? It is a strong possibility.

Over his three-plus year career as a Duck, Herbert has never thrown more than eight interceptions in a season. That number came last year when he put up a career-high 404 pass attempts. He also had more yards and touchdowns than he had the two prior years.

Oregon showcased something of a respectable defense against Nevada, limiting them to under 200 total yards. The Wolf Pack have athletes at the skill positions, but on this night, they were no match for the Ducks.

Herbert did his damage in under three quarters, as he threw his final touchdown pass with 10 minutes to play in the third, hitting Daewood Davis. He also had a highlight-reel throw to Jacob Breeland to start the night, connecting for 66 yards.

Oregon showed its wide receiver depth, as seven different players caught touchdown passes from Herbert and Tyler Shough. In all, the Ducks had over 600 total yards, putting a big-time mark on the stat book for the night.

Herbert and Oregon are going to have several games this year where he can put up numbers and light up the scoreboard including next weekend when they host Montana. A date at Stanford follows, but games with California and Colorado should give us a good idea where this team stands heading into an October showdown with Washington.

If the Ducks can get through the next few weeks with just the loss to Auburn on their resume, November could become a critical month for Herbert’s Heisman campaign and the push to a marquee bowl game — along with a spot in the Pac-12 title game.