Jeremiah McClellan injury update: Oregon WR shaken up, tended to after hard landing

Just about everything is going perfectly for Oregon in the College Football Playoff opener against James Madison. Just about. An injury to receiver Jeremiah McClellan just before halftime put a slight damper on things.

McClellan nearly made a spectacular catch over the back of a Dukes defender, but he came down hard on the turf. As he did, the ball was jarred loose.

At the same time, Jeremiah McClellan seemed to injure something. It was unclear if it was an arm, shoulder or possibly even a hip injury, but he was immediately tended to by athletic trainers. They moved him just off the field and began working on him.

When McClellan was hurt, he was the team’s leading receiver in the game against James Madison. He had logged four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown already in the contest.

Oregon offense explosive in first half

At halftime, Oregon was leading the contest 34-6. Somehow it didn’t feel even that close, as the Ducks were virtually unstoppable on offense. Big plays were the name of the game for the Ducks.

Things started off with a 41-yard touchdown strike from Dante Moore to Jamari Johnson within the first two minutes of the game. It would only continue from there.

Dierre Hill ran for a 56-yard score in the second quarter. He would not be the last to score in the period for Oregon.

Jeremiah McClellan recorded his touchdown catch, a superb grab on a 20-yard pass to the left corner of the end zone from Moore, with 9:18 left to play in the second quarter.

Shortly after, Malik Benson would hit the opposite corner of the end zone on a deep go route. He snagged a 46-yard touchdown reception as a result.

While the injury to Jeremiah McClellan will bear monitoring going forward, the Ducks were proving they had playmakers all over the field. The only real blemish in the first half came when Moore was picked off on a bit of a fluky play just before the break.

Still, Oregon was cruising. The Ducks gained 360 yards of offense in the first half, averaging a whopping 14.4 yards per play. Virtually everything was working, setting up Oregon for a likely win and the chance to advance to the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.