Bo Nix 'Preparing himself as if he can go' Ahead of Utah Showdown

The status of Oregon's signal caller and top player is up in the air ahead of this week's showdown against the Utes.

We still don't know who will be taking snaps at quarterback for the Oregon Ducks on Saturday when they face off against the No. 10 Utah Utes.

Star quarterback Bo Nix exited last week's game against Washington after taking a hit on a third-down run late in the fourth quarter. He would eventually return after missing the ensuing drive. 

Head Coach Dan Lanning declined to comment on injuries at the start of the week, but spoke about his quarterback's status during the Oregon Football Coaches Show Wednesday evening.

"We're being really conscientious of him and his reps--we wanna do a good job taking care of him, but he's preparing himself as if he can go," Lanning said.

It goes without saying that if Nix isn't able to go on Saturday, the offense will look much different with another signal caller. Lanning said the Ducks are preparing other quarterbacks in the room should they be needed.

"It's just a great example of a moment there within a game, for example how quickly the next person up has got to be ready to roll. Ty (Thompson) and Jay (Butterfield) do a great job year-round, I think Coach Dillingham does a great job with the quarterbacks of developing those guys and preparing them for their moment. And the way we practice giving opportunities for guys in practice to get better and those guys have done a good job with that attack."

Lanning's update comes after wide receiver Kris Hutson spoke with reporters following Wednesday's practice, expressing confidence in Thompson and Butterfield should they be called upon.

"We're very confident. They both are two great quarterbacks," Hutson said. "Obviously Bo is down, so it's next man up. They gonna go in like they've been there before and we trust both of them."

We'll see who ends up taking the first snap when the Ducks face the Utes, but Nix isn't the only player Oregon hopes is healthy come game time.

Wide receiver Chase Cota has missed the last two games since getting injured against California, while starting offensive linemen Alex Forsyth and Ryan Walk exited the Washington game after getting banged up and didn't return.

The Ducks and Utes will kick off Saturday at 7:35 pm PT on ESPN.

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