Oregon was already facing No. 18 Arizona State tonight without star running back LaMichael James, who is recovering from an elbow injury. Chip Kelly‘s team later found out they were going to have to finish it without their quarterback, Darron Thomas.
In the third quarter of tonight’s game, Thomas was tackled by an ASU defender, awkwardly bending his left knee. Thomas was able to jog off the field under his own power, but was later seen heading to the locker room favoring that left knee. ESPN’s Erin Andrews reported later that Thomas had tweaked that knee and would remain sidelined for the rest of the game while doctors ran tests.
However, a short time later, Thomas came back out on to the sidelines wearing a knee brace. Thomas never returned and backup quarterback Bryan Bennett led the Ducks to a 41-27 victory over the Sun Devils.
Additionally, James’ replacement for tonight’s game, Kenjon Barner, limped off the field shortly after Thomas’ exit, but appears to be okay when he rushed for a 5-yard touchdown later in the third quarter. He ultimately rushed for 171 yards.
