Redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota has won the job as starting quarterback for No. 5 Oregon.

In my humble opinion, with very few exceptions, freshman QBs don't win in major college football.

palisadesbear;841928567 said:

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Redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota has won the job as starting quarterback for No. 5 Oregon.

In my humble opinion, with very few exceptions, freshman QBs don't win in major college football.

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This is one of those exceptions. He's good.

He is also a redshirt - so really a sophomore experience wise.

Either this kid is very, very good, or the upperclassmen QBs really didn't live up to their hype. Hey, Duck fans, what gives?

palisadesbear;841928567 said:

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In my humble opinion, with very few exceptions, freshman QBs don't win in major college football.

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Phew!! That's a relief. I'm glad we can expect our first victory over those pesky ducklings in... How many years has it been? Three or four?

Talk about wishful thinking.

It is simply case of whether or not Oregon's QB is good- it is not a case of experience!.

Oregon's offense is so much easier to learn than Cal's that it is more a case of ability rather than experience.

palisadesbear;841928567 said:

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Redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota has won the job as starting quarterback for No. 5 Oregon.

In my humble opinion, with very few exceptions, freshman QBs don't win in major college football.

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Never underestimate Chip Kelly.....he's been to 2 Rose Bowls and 1 NC game in 3 years....and Cal is still trying to get to its first one.

wifeisafurd;841928573 said:

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Either this kid is very, very good, or the upperclassmen QBs really didn't live up to their hype. Hey, Duck fans, what gives?

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Here's a comment that I saw elsewhere that pretty much sums it up in my opinion:
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Oregon did an admirable job making it seem like this battle raged through the Spring, but the coaches have known for some time that Mariota is a special player. Expectations are sky high in Eugene right now. Oregon hasn't had a player with this combination of skills/tools since Dennis Dixon.
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That last bit is the key. Obviously the sample size is small, but what we have seen of him in the Spring game, his highlight tapes, and in limited action in practices that were open *last* Summer leads most of us to believe that he has a closer resemblance to DD than anybody we've had since. He has a full range of throws, plenty of arm strength, and he's quick as hell - maybe even a bit faster than Dixon was.

Also Bennett is pretty good... he just doesn't have as high a ceiling as Mariota. I've also read comments suggesting that he's not as patient and tends to ditch the pocket sooner in favor of toting it himself - which we saw evidence of in the Spring, certainly.

palisadesbear;841928567 said:

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Redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota has won the job as starting quarterback for No. 5 Oregon.

In my humble opinion, with very few exceptions, freshman QBs don't win in major college football.

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...that QB Mariota was the best QB prospect on the team, and that's another reason why QB Thomas went to the NFL draft early.

:axe

man, this kid better not turn into one of those freak athletes like cam newton.

Also, the comment about freshman (even if RS) I think is accurate. But one of the things about Oregon's system is that it allows kids to make more mistakes without punishing them, because they simply get more opportunities to begin with.

BellottiBold;841928605 said:

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Also, the comment about freshman (even if RS) I think is accurate. But one of the things about Oregon's system is that it allows kids to make more mistakes without punishing them, because they simply get more opportunities to begin with.

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...more opportunities for theft and to eventually leave early.

Coach Chip recruits talent but not character...and he can't coach character. He has recruited the most characters to UO since Coach Brooks.

Freakiest Athlete they have had as a qb by far. Lets hope he isnt very accurate otherwise its gonna be a long couple years. I am VERY high on this kid.

Man, if he turns out to be as good as Dixon was, look out!

ducktilldeath;841928622 said:

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Really, the only question mark is how he will handle live fire, and that this point I seriously doubt that will be an issue. If there's any doubt, I think Oregon and Kelly deserve the benefit of it. The physical tools are all there. Mariota IS accurate, MUCH more so than Thomas or Masoli. His HS coach said his release was like Andrew Luck's. And obviously he has the wheels to go 80 yards like he did in the spring game(to be fair he would have been tackled if the QBs weren't being touched down).

I don't think people understand just how limited Oregon's playbook has been. Masoli was 5'10. Thomas' motion was that of a fast pitch softballer. The coaches completely closed the passing playbook on Thomas because he couldn't be trusted to not sail passes over the middle of the field, or throw behind guys and get them tipped, and he still had 66 TDs in 26 games. What are the 1 and 2 reasons for interceptions? Tips and overthrows. Thomas was a disaster waiting to happen throwing into coverage down field. Go rewatch Oregon games and you'll see throw after throw after throw after throw to the sidelines.

Expect Mariota OR Bennett to be waaaaaaaaaaaay better at making the longer intermediate throws, especially over the middle of the field. Oregon is going to be MORE difficult to defend.

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This is the time of the year for unbridled enthusiasm ... even for upper-echelon teams.

ducktilldeath;841928615 said:

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You're a sad, narrow minded, ignant hater. As if you know a damn thing about 99% of the players Kelly has coached.
Oh well, you wouldn't hate if Oregon wasn't curb stomping through the conference these days.

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Good grief...you sad little man, or moreso another nearsighted Duck phfan. Tell us something about the character of the players (or thugs) Kelly has coached. He might surpass Coach Brooks.

Mariota stole the show in thier spring game. He'll definitely have alot of speed with Vaughn, Huff, DAT, and Barner to work with. Hes tall and can move, but hes quite thin, really wonder if his frame can hold up. Im also very interested to see if QB Bennett leaves the programs as it has been rumored for some time now.

ducktilldeath;841928635 said:

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He's got 25 lbs on your boy Maynard.

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But Maynard's not known as a runner, although it is available to him in certain situations. The more your boy sticks his neck out, the more likely its gonna be cut off...fast or not.

Cal_Fan2;841928581 said:

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Never underestimate Chip Kelly.....he's been to 2 Rose Bowls and 1 NC game in 3 years....and Cal is still trying to get to its first one.

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Also, Chip is ridiculous good at using average players in his system.


Oregon has been a plug-n-play system for a while. QB on that team will put up huge numbers just by having a pulse. Same with RB, and WR.

None of them have to be any good for that system to work, and they certainly do not have to be a unique talent.

goldenjax;841928627 said:

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Mariota stole the show in thier spring game. He'll definitely have alot of speed with Vaughn, Huff, DAT, and Barner to work with. Hes tall and can move, but hes quite thin, really wonder if his frame can hold up. Im also very interested to see if QB Bennett leaves the programs as it has been rumored for some time now.

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He's not THAT thin--maybe for a guy who is half Samoan, but he's still half Samoan.



Even standing next to Chip Kelly doesn't make him look skinny.

Phantomfan;841928645 said:

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Also, Chip is ridiculous good at using average players in his system.


Oregon has been a plug-n-play system for a while. QB on that team will put up huge numbers just by having a pulse. Same with RB, and WR.

None of them have to be any good for that system to work, and they certainly do not have to be a unique talent.

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Agreed, though you may have overstated it. They do have to be good athletes, which Mariota is, and have some combination of ability to throw and/or run.

This kid is going to be good, and Oregon is recruiting at a higher level than they were with the guys that got them to mulitple BCSs (they have a lot more weapons). However, this is his first year--I feel like this is the year, playing at home, we really need to get a win against them to slow them down and get back to a more even playing field. Next year at Autzen, when he has a year under his belt and we are breaking in a new starter, will be more difficult, especially if we don't beat them this year.

Kid is from St. Louis HS in Honolulu (Gesser, Timmy Chang, Masoli). Oregon recruits out here very heavily. Why don't we recruit in Hawaii, again?

ducktilldeath;841928642 said:

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I appreciate the tone of your post, trust me, but my enthusiasm isn't unbridled. I'm not saying he won't struggle. I just think that his floor and ceiling are a lot higher than the last 2 guys we've had at the position. As Kelly himself said, QBs are like unknown teabags, you never know what you're going to get until you put them in hot water. If Mariota can deal with pressure, and failure, and the speed of the game, he has superior physical abilities.

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ducktilldeath;841928642 said:

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If there's any doubt, I think Oregon and Kelly deserve the benefit of it. The physical tools are all there. Mariota IS accurate, MUCH more so than Thomas or Masoli. His HS coach said his release was like Andrew Luck's. And obviously he has the wheels to go 80 yards like he did in the spring game(to be fair he would have been tackled if the QBs weren't being touched down).

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To summarize DTD:

- The ducks don't know what they have in Mariota and won't know until he's in 'hot water'.

- The ducks know they have a player who is better than his predecessor in every way

- Therefore, Mariota is a better QB than Thomas or Masoli but we aren't suppose to know this yet unless we assume that the Oregon Spring game = hot water.

Jesus Christ it's a Duck party. Everybody quack.

Duck fans have a lot of reasons to be excited, on paper, and a reasonable expectation that they will have a dominant team. However, the Pac12 is going to be better than ever at stopping the Ducks, because they are the #1 target and have been for a few years now. So, the Ducks have to get better to stay ahead. Will be interesting to see what happens, I am sure they will have a great season, but perhaps not as great as the expectations being posted here.

oskihasahearton;841928626 said:

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Tell us something about the character of the players (or thugs) Kelly has coached.

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like other Pac 12 schools, Oregon players do a ton of community service including raising lots of money for the local food bank. Under Kelly, their collective team GPA and graduation rates have seen significant positive bumps. Some of that is because they've been recruiting more kids who were HS honor roll types (like Mariota).

http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2012/08/deanthony_thomas_ducks_prove_t.html

http://projects.registerguard.com/web/sports/27079688-41/gsr-oregon-percent-academic-basketball.html.csp

Optimistic Bear;841928571 said:

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This is one of those exceptions. He's good.

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JT: "He can't be any good since he has no experience as a starter." :p

diego;841928705 said:

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Oregon players do a ton of community service

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Court mandated doesn't count.

NYCGOBEARS;841928709 said:

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Court mandated doesn't count.

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:bravo:bravo:bravo

If he's gonna give you a softball you might as well hit it out of the park.

Holmoephobic;841928717 said:

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:bravo:bravo:bravo

If he's gonna give you a softball you might as well hit it out of the park.

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Well, when a duck gives you a gift....... Quack!

KoreAmBear;841928671 said:

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Kid is from St. Louis HS in Honolulu (Gesser, Timmy Chang, Masoli). Oregon recruits out here very heavily. Why don't we recruit in Hawaii, again?

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Masoli is from Serra in San Mateo via Juvenile Hall.

Holmoephobic;841928717 said:

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:bravo:bravo:bravo

If he's gonna give you a softball you might as well hit it out of the park.

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another softball for you guys here's the 2011 highlights of Bryan Bennett (the guy Mariota beat out)

Breaking news: Mariota just named preseason first team qb over Matt Barkley. Ducks beat UW for the 2012 offseason national championship!

elpbear;841928677 said:

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Jesus Christ it's a Duck party. Everybody quack.

Duck fans have a lot of reasons to be excited, on paper, and a reasonable expectation that they will have a dominant team. However, the Pac12 is going to be better than ever at stopping the Ducks, because they are the #1 target and have been for a few years now. So, the Ducks have to get better to stay ahead. Will be interesting to see what happens, I am sure they will have a great season, but perhaps not as great as the expectations being posted here.

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Oregon has the best offensive line and total defense since Chip became head coach. I would say that is a pretty good start.

diego;841928727 said:

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another softball for you guys here's the 2011 highlights of Bryan Bennett (the guy Mariota beat out)

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No doubt. You Donald's will be good. I'm looking forward to the season. Sayin and playin are two different things.

diego;841928727 said:

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another softball for you guys here's the 2011 highlights of Bryan Bennett (the guy Mariota beat out)

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He looked pretty good against Nevada's 4th string, Missouri State, Colorado, Washington State, and Arizona State. Not exactly the best defenses in the world. None of those passes looked particularly impressive and he doesn't look that impressive as a QB. Wake me when somebody drafts the ultra-talented Bryan Bennett. The only impressive part of that video is CK's scheme.

I think Mariota is a far more talented player than Bennett and I do think DTD is right about Mariota. I just couldn't help but rib him a bit.