Oregon needs one win to reach bowl eligibility but there is more at stake: Showing the Ducks have closed the gap with the Huskies, the conference’s new standard-bearer, than last season’s rout suggested.
Who will play quarterback? Freshman Braxton Burmeister, or sophomore Justin Herbert? Taggart hasn’t showed his hand this week, nor has he definitely said whether Herbert has been medically cleared to play five weeks after fracturing a collarbone. But the QB who helped lead UO to a 4-1 record took repetitions with the first-team offense Wednesday, with Burmeister behind him. "Justin made some big-time plays out there (Tuesday) that got everybody excited," Taggart said.