Oregon Ducks alumni Bo Nix and Justin Herbert are set to battle this weekend when the Denver Broncos take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
The two weren’t on the Ducks roster at the same time, but crossed paths only once in their collegiate careers. When Nix was a member of the Auburn Tigers, in his first collegiate game he faced Herbert and the Ducks. Auburn would end up beating Oregon, 27-21.
Once Herbert went to the NFL, Nix would end up transferring to Oregon.
Now the former Ducks will face each other for the second time as the Broncos host the Chargers on Sunday.
Same faces, new places pic.twitter.com/66kDiTMCOa
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 9, 2024
Dueling Ducks: Bo Nix and Justin Herbert to face off at pro level
Ahead of the matchup, Nix shared his appreciation for Herbert and the path he paved at Oregon.
“I do appreciate him coming before me,” said Nix. “He played for a while at Oregon, went through some tough times and battled through it, and he won a Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl. So he’s one of those guys you look up to, playing at Oregon. And now, he’s been in the league for several years, been watching him, and he’s been doing some great things. So it’ll be fun watching him live and fun seeing him again.”
While the pair only faced off once in college, Nix recalls the game being quite fun. Nix would complete 41.9% of his passes for 177 yards and had 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Herbert on the other hand would complete 75.7% of his passes for 242 yards and 1 touchdown.
“It was a great head-to-head battle,” said Nix. “They had a really good football team. I still remember them being one of the best defenses that I played. And Justin had a great game himself, and it came down to the wire. And it was just a really good college football game that day.”
While Herbert was in the NFL, he admired Nix’s success at Oregon from afar.
“It was awesome to see their success at Oregon, and especially his,” said Herbert. “So I got nothing but respect for him.”
With both quarterbacks now residing in the AFC West, this could signify the start of many fun matchups between the former Ducks.