Oregon QB Marcus Mariota has MCL sprain, says he will play next week

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has not thrown an interception since last November. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has a partial sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, but says he will play next week against Utah, reports ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel.

Mariota was wearing a brace on the knee during Oregon's 26-20 loss to Stanford on Thursday night.

Mariota completed 20-of-34 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Mariota only ran the ball three times and was sacked three times.

In the second half, after one of those sacks, Mariota had to be helped off the field after losing a fumble, but returned during the next series and finished the game.

ELLIS: Three and Out: Stanford downs Oregon 26-20 to quash Ducks’ BCS title hopes

Mariota, who has thrown 22 touchdown passes and zero interceptions this season, said the injury is not too serious.

"I don't know. I tend to just not focus on the pain because you've got to play with it. It is what it is," Mariota said. "It's a little banged up, but it's nothing too extraordinary. We're going to take it and get healthy, and I'll be ready for next week."