Oregon knew what it had in quarterback Justin Herbert entering the season. The junior possesses as live an arm as any quarterback in the country, and might I say, any player in the school’s history as well.

The question was, who would he be throwing to?

That was an inquiry without an answer through three non-conference games. In fact, the team’s receiving corps had been so up-and-down that they might as well have doubled as a see-saw. Oregon receivers dropped numerous passes in non-league games. Begging the question of how high the offense’s ceiling truly was despite having a transcendent quarterback.

But, last week Dillon Mitchell announced himself as Herbert’s go-to guy. In the team’s loss to Stanford, he nearly broke Oregon’s single-game records for catches (14) and yard (239). The performance saw him show it all: the precise routes, strong hands and excellent footwork.

As he said after last week's game, the Ducks had kept the offense rather vanilla early in the season.

“Basically the coordinators, and even Justin, weren't showing everything in the first three games," he explained following Tuesday's practice. "As a player like myself, it was definitely hard for the first three games, because I didn’t see the ball as much.

“Coming into conference play, I knew they’d be coming for me more. I just wanted to put my mark on the game."

Well, if anyone thought the Stanford game a fluke, Mitchell had something to say about it. On Saturday, he torched a talented Golden Bear defensive backfield. He finished the game with seven catches for 105 yards and a 36-yard second quarter touchdown hookup.

“During league play, we’re trying to kill guys," Mitchell said following the 42-24 win over the Golden Bears. "We’re not trying to hide things from people. I definitely feel like we’re trying to come out and go after people."

Head coach Mario Cristobal pointed to Mitchell's commitment in practice. The effort the past three weeks suggest that the junior from Tennessee has turned a corner.

“The key to him the past couple of games is how he’s been practicing," he said. "He has really just taken it upon himself. I can’t tell you how proud I and the coaching staff are of him.

“Certainly the quarterback trusts him more and more, and we’ll continue to expand that role."

Every hero needs its sidekick. Herbert has seemingly found has his Robin. It's not just that Mitchell is dominating, it's also that Herbert seems to look his way more than anyone else. Last week he hauled in 14 of 21 passes caught by wideouts. This week, he seven of 10.

If this is the Oregon passing game we’ll see all year, then defenses be ware. Not only do the Ducks have the Pac-12’s best quarterback slinging dimes, but they have an upper-echelon wideout making plays on the outside.

It remains to be seen just how far that 1-2 punch can take this offense, but what is clear, is that Justin Herbert has found a favorite weapon, and for two straight weeks the connection has paid major dividends.