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Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota hopes to lose his left knee brace soon, so he can return to runs like this, a 71-yard sprint for a touchdown at Virginia.

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

EUGENE -- Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota on Monday said he will wait until later in the week to decide if he will continue to wear a brace on his left knee when the No. 5 Ducks play at Arizona on Saturday.

Mariota has worn the brace since the second half of the Oct. 26 home game against UCLA. In the past two games, Mariota has run less than he had in the first eight games of the season, in part because coaches have called less read-option plays to protect him and his knee, and in part because Mariota says defenses are designing their game plans to stop the run.

Last week against Utah, Mariota had four official carries -- three sacks and one five-yard scramble while avoiding the rush. The week before, Mariota had six rushes -- three sacks, and at least two scrambles. Before the Stanford game, Mariota had 56 rushes for 511 yards (9.1 yard average) and nine touchdowns.

Offensive coordinator Scott Frost on Saturday said he anticipates Mariota being close to 100 percent, perhaps to the point where he won’t need the brace against the Wildcats. Mariota said he will wait until later in the week to make that decision.

“The knee is good,’’ Mariota said. “I went through practice today and felt good.’’

Mariota said the knee brace is “a little more restrictive” but he said he doesn’t feel like it affects his decision making.