Oregon Football: 3 takeaways from road rout of Stanford in Week 4

2. Justin Herbert had another huge day for the Ducks at quarterback

Justin Herbert could have been playing on Sundays this year as a first-round NFL Draft pick. Instead, he opted to return to his hometown for a senior season at the University of Oregon with big dreams of national contention and a legitimate shot at contending for the Ducks’ second Heisman Trophy.

While he has been overshadowed early in the season by guys like Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Fields, and Joe Burrow, Herbert continues to put on a clinic weekend after weekend on the west coast. He was his usual efficient self against Stanford on Saturday evening, carving up the Cardinal for 259 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-24 passing.

Not everything was perfect, by any means. While he avoided throwing any interceptions or coughing up any fumbles, Herbert did take a couple of costly sacks that, when combined with his few successful keepers, pushed Oregon a net of 22 yards backward on the ground.

All in all, though, Herbert continues to bolster his chances of going in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft each time he guides the Ducks to victory. Against David Shaw’s Stanford squad, he set Oregon up to stay in the Pac-12 North hunt for another week and probably knocked the Cardinal out of the picture in the process.