Mariota Staying at Oregon

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota announced Tuesday he will return next season for his junior year.

“It is an honor to be a student at the University of Oregon and to have the opportunity to represent our institution on the football field alongside my teammates,” Mariota said in a statement. “I look forward to earning my degree next year and to the rest of my career at this great university.”

Mariota, who helped guide Oregon (10-2) to its sixth straight 10-win season, is a first team All-Pac-12 selection and has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,412 yards, 30 touchdowns and four interceptions while also rushing for 582 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

The 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore played the final four games of the season with a brace on his left knee, after injuring it during the second half of Oregon’s win over UCLA.

Before the injury, Mariota hadn’t thrown an interception and Oregon hadn’t lost a game.