Mario Cristobal Provides Injury Updates Ahead of Washington Matchup

Oregon is beginning to get healthy at the right time with just four games remaining in the regular season. The Ducks had some players get banged up against Colorado last week and others that have been recovering from injuries in previous weeks. 

Slowly but surely some of those players are creeping back to health in preparation for the home stretch.

One player that the Ducks have been without for over a month is starting center Alex Forsyth, who's been battling back spasms and has missed the past four games. Mario Cristobal has repeated that Forsyth has been very close to playing, and he even warmed up in full pads before the UCLA game but was ultimately pulled.

Forsyth hasn't missed many practices due to the ongoing spasms, and he was back on the practice field on Sunday.

"Forsyth is good. He practiced yesterday full go," Cristobal said on Monday. Of course, back spasms can be sudden, so practicing full go on Sunday doesn't guarantee that he will be on the field for the Ducks on Saturday.

Jackson Powers-Johnson, who suffered a sprained ankle against UCLA, is "day-to-day," according to Cristobal, which likely means he won't play on Saturday depending on his recovery.

Safety Jordan Happle, who missed the Colorado game, is "full go," according to Cristobal.

Cristobal also noted that cornerback Dontae Manning and safety Daymon David are good to go.

Steve Stephens IV suffered a "soft tissue injury" during the Colorado game and was carted off the field. Cristobal said after the game that he didn't expect him to miss any time, and on Monday he said that he "has a chance" to play on Saturday.

"Steve Stephens is being re-evaluated today," Cristobal said. "He's got a chance. You saw he hyperextended on film, but looks like he has a chance."

Cristobal didn't speak to Verone McKinley III's status, but after saying that the star safety was "fine" after Saturday's game, it appears he's ready to go. The Ducks were forced to dive into their safety depth with McKinley, David, and Stephens exiting the game and Bennett Williams being out for the year. 

Former wide receiver Bryan Addison and former walk-on Lucas Noland also saw snaps at safety against Colorado.