EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon coach Mark Helfrich wouldn’t comment Tuesday on a report that quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. has a broken index finger on his right hand.
CSNNW.com cited multiple sources in revealing that Adams’ finger was broken.
Adams finished with 309 yards passing in the 31-28 loss to the now fourth-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Saturday. Adams wore gloves and was seen examining the finger on the sideline during the game. Afterward, the finger was wrapped in a splint.
The No. 12 Ducks don’t comment on injuries as a policy, which Helfrich reiterated on the weekly Pac-12 coaches conference call for Saturday’s game against Georgia State.
“We don’t talk about those kind of player availability things other than the best guy for us will be out there playing,” Helfrich said.
Adams apparently injured the finger in Oregon’s opener, a 61-42 victory over his former school, Eastern Washington.
Adams insisted the finger was all right following the game against the Spartans and again on Monday following practice. But offensive coordinator Scott Frost said he wasn’t 100 percent against the Spartans.
“We don’t talk about injuries here, but he wasn’t himself during that game. That’s not an excuse. You won’t find one game in college football where there isn’t somebody playing that’s hurt,” Frost said. “But that was a big stage for him to be on and not be full speed, and I thought he performed pretty well.”
The Ducks (1-1) rallied late with Adams’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Byron Marshall with 3:25 remaining. Oregon drove to the Spartans’ 33 on its next drive, but Adams overthrew Marshall before he was sacked for a loss of 10, and his pass on fourth-and-16 was incomplete.
He finished with a late touchdown to Marshall. Afterward, Adams put the loss on himself, especially the errant passes.
“I gotta be better than that and make those throws and give us a chance to win the game, and that could’ve changed everything if I would’ve put it right on him,” Adams said.
Adams, who transferred to Oregon from Eastern Washington for his final year of eligibility, performed well in his debut against the Eagles, throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns before he left the game in the fourth quarter after a scary late hit that left him wobbly. The quarterback briefly went to the locker room, but later returned to watch the end of the game from the sideline.
If Adams is not ready to go, the Ducks could use junior Jeff Lockie, who was Marcus Mariota’s backup last season.
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