Marcus Harper II played for Oregon twice last season, but they were select snaps early in the season. He saw time at right guard against Stony Brook on Sept. 18 and then against Arizona a week later. Both games were lopsided in nature, so Harper was part of the clean-up crew. He saw 16 snaps total between the two games.

Before he was thrust into action on Saturday against Georgia when starting left guard Ryan Walk exited with a knee injury, Harper had to sit at wait. He didn’t play in 2020 as a true freshman. He knows exactly how many days it had been since he contributed on the football field.

“It was 1,014 days since the last time I really contributed to a game,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “It was just fun getting back out there. I couldn’t do nothing but give all glory to God, because I’ve been in preparation for about three years.”

Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Football is full of clichés for a reason, after all. And Harper was the embodiment of “next man up” in the Ducks’ opener. The game was a losing effort, sure, but Harper was happy to see the field.

He’s stayed hard at work in an age where his situation might prompt a dip into the transfer portal more often than not.

Oregon doesn’t expect Walk’s injury to be a long-term issue, but early snaps for Harper will serve the team.
“I think (Walk)’s going to be good to go moving forward,” coach Dan Lanning said on Monday. “He’s still getting treatment and going through some pieces there.

“Marcus has proven to be a reliable player for us through fall camp. He’s earned the opportunity to participate and help. I think he carried that over on Saturday. Some moments of growth for him, some spots where he can certainly get better. Having multiple guys that can help play up front is certainly going to help us down the road.”

Harper played 32 snaps in the game on Saturday. He was the highest-graded offensive lineman to see the field for Oregon, according to Pro Football Focus.

Walk didn’t practice on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. The Ducks play Eastern Washington on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.