Darron Thomas Injury: Why Oregon QB Is Critical for Ducks' Pac-12 Hopes

Oregon Ducks' quarterback Darron Thomas joined the list of injured stars on Saturday night. He tweaked his knee in the third quarter of No. 9 Oregon's 41-27 win over Arizona State, according to the Washington Post.

Thomas went straight to the locker room for evaluation after a Sun Devil defender fell awkwardly on his leg.

Thomas' night ended with 187 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception.

The star quarterback is the second offensive weapon the Ducks have lost to injury in as many weeks.

In Oregon's previous game against Cal, Heisman candidate running back LaMichael James went down with a gruesome elbow injury.

Freshman backup Bryan Bennett stepped in for Thomas Saturday night, and completed just two of five attempts. With the injury to James, the Ducks cannot afford to lose Thomas for any length of time.

Although Thomas was all smiles after the injury and made it clear that he would be back in no time, the extent of his injury remains uncertain.

In four weeks the Ducks will visit No. 7 Stanford in a game that will likely determine the Pac-12 champion and automatic Rose Bowl qualifier.

If Thomas is out, or even hobbled by his injured knee on November 12, Oregon will be in deep trouble on the road.

Prior to that pivotal matchup, the Ducks will be on the road at Washington taking on the Huskies who are surprisingly 3-0 in the conference.

Without James at running back, the Oregon offense will already be limited. But, without the steady hand of Thomas under center, the Ducks' defense will be under even more pressure to slow Andrew Luck.

The Ducks will be on upset alert next weekend at Colorado, considering they could potentially be without Thomas and that the Buffaloes have been pathetic in their first Pac-12 season, losers of four-straight.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter @_Pat_Clarke