Some guys have all the luck, and some, like Oregon true freshman wide receiver Mycah Pittman, can’t seem to buy a lucky bounce.
After rehabbing his way through a shoulder injury suffered in August, which served as the prevailing headline throughout fall camp alongside an unconscionable rash of other injuries to Oregon wide receivers, Pittman returned to action for the Ducks’ Pac-12 home opener vs. Cal, quickly asserting himself as a valuable member of the Ducks’ rotation out wide. In six games as a reserve, Pittman hauled in 14 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns, flashing the remarkable playmaking ability that cemented him as one of the nation’s top receivers in the 2019 recruiting class.
But before Pittman could truly find his stride in his debut season with the Ducks, injury misfortune struck again, as Pittman suffered a gruesome arm injury in the first quarter of Oregon’s 34-6 victory over Arizona that immediately put the viability of the remainder of his season in doubt for all who saw the injury in real time. That doubt was more or less confirmed Monday when Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal shared with assembled members of the media during his weekly press conference that Pittman would be sidelined for the next six weeks.
With six weeks serving as the time frame for Pittman’s recovery, it guarantees that the talented true freshman will miss Oregon’s known remaining games at Arizona State, vs. Oregon State, plus the Pac-12 Championship. It does not, however, guarantee that Pittman will be unavailable for a bowl game depending on the outcome of the Ducks’ next three games. Should the Ducks win out and secure a berth in the College Football Playoff, Pittman’s anticipated six-week recovery would potentially put him in the mix to return for the College Football Playoff Semifinals, which take place December 28.
In the meantime, the Ducks’ relatively thin receiver rotation gets thinner with Pittman sidelined for the foreseeable future. While the freshman didn’t exactly establish himself as the go-to receiver that many were projecting him to be before the season began, he was a player who had earned the trust of Justin Herbert and the Oregon coaches. Juwan Johnson, Jaylon Redd, and Johnny Johnson of course remain as Herbert’s preferred targets in the passing game, but the player with perhaps the biggest opportunity to step up in Pittman’s stead is fellow true freshman Josh Delgado.
Having appeared in nine of ten games this season, Delgado – a former four-star recruit in his own right – has been a player who has mostly operated along the periphery of the Ducks’ passing attack, but has shown potential with nine receptions for 116 yards this season. Like Pittman, Delgado is at his best operating out of the slot, where his speed and quickness can offer an advantage if matched up against a linebacker or safety. Delgado is slight, measuring in at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, but he’s a player with big play ability with the ball in his hands.
Bryan Addison and Spencer Webb are two other players who could also see their opportunities increase with Pittman grounded. Both players are big bodied pass catchers who aren’t necessarily hand-in-glove fits working out of the slot, but with the Ducks down a pass catcher, both players have the advantage of experience over a player such as Delgado. Daewood Davis is another player to keep an eye on, as the speedy former receiver, turned cornerback, turned receiver, turned cornerback, is now back at receiver to help provide depth to what has been arguably been the most maligned position group on the roster.
Top Photo: Oregon WR Mycah Pittman (Jenny Rydstedt/Whole Flock of Ducks)