Duck Dynasty: Oregon Football's Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

When you think of Oregon football, images of trailblazing boldness flash through one's mind. They're easily known as the front-runners in the future of college sports. Flashy, even. These thoughts stem from two basic entities: Nike, and offense.

Having a special relationship with sports apparel shah and alum Phil Knight has had an immense impact on the program in the past 20 years, as detailed by former Daily Emerald editor-in-chief Sam Stites. What has also helped is the athleticism and continued development of their skill-position players, with the quarterback position being the prime example.

Though not considered a traditional "Quarterback U" by college football pundits, the University of Oregon has had more than its share of elite players behind center. What stands out in this list of all-time top QBs is the chronological preference of the 201st decade (such as the ranking placement of Duck greats Joey Harrington and Dennis Dixon). Signal-callers from earlier generations weren't automatically penalized just for playing for Oregon farther from the present day, however. Here is a detailed look at the general criterion taken into consideration for selection:

• Player is top five in QB career passing yards and/or top 10 in QB career rushing yards for UO
• Quarterback's play remembered as trendsetting for future program prominence or was part of transcendent Oregon team
• Played vital role in a signature win for Ducks

Notice the emphasis on rushing yards. This is key, because as the quarterback position has evolved in general on every level, the dual-threat ability of an athlete has changed the way we look at QBs—including those at Oregon. You can thank Chip Kelly and the innovative spread option offense he crafted while in Eugene for helping propel the development of the modern college QB.

Honorable Mention: Dan Fouts, Jeremiah Masoli, Akili Smith

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Since there have been so many great ones in the sport's 121-year school history (and since it would be a shame to totally omit an NFL Hall-of-Famer who set 19 records at the university) it is safe to say the Honorable Mention list is loaded.

Dan Fouts sits at the top, without question. He was the featured instrument in the Air Coryell offense of the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Back when Oregon was a member of the Pac-8, he was the unknown kid from San Francisco who eventually went on to hold the school's total offense record at 5,871 yards. 

Jeremiah Masoli was the predecessor for some of what we see now in Marcus Mariota. Before transferring to Ole Miss after receiving his undergraduate degree, he was a quarterback with marginal throwing capabilities who nonetheless was a force as a running threat. In 2008, he set an Oregon single-season record for rushing yards by a QB with 714. In 2009, he led the 10th-ranked Ducks to an upset win over No. 4 USC, a Pac-10 Championship and eventual Rose Bowl appearance.

Akili Smith is a standout for sitting ninth all-time in career passing yardage despite only starting 11 games for Oregon. After transferring from a San Diego-based JUCO in his hometown, he flourished as a senior, throwing for 3,763 yards and 30 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. His stellar yards-per-pass-attempt average coupled with a cannon for an arm made him the third overall selection in the 1999 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

5. Bill Musgrave (1987-1990)

GoDucks.com

As a four-year starter and the program's all-time leader in total passing yards, Bill Musgrave is the gold standard at the position. He ran the pro-style, split-back set at a high level (which probably helps explain his current job as quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles) with wide receivers Joe Reitzug and Tony Hargain among his favorite targets. 

Musgrave's play was deemed as calm—a common trait in every good QB—when it mattered most. It seems fitting that he is credited as the first quarterback in school history to lead the team to back-to-back bowl appearances, with Oregon playing in the Independence Bowl (1989) and Freedom Bowl (1990).

4. Joey Harrington (1998-2001)

MATT YORK/Associated Press

The billboard in Times Square (as previously detailed via eugeneweekly.com) for his senior season Heisman campaign was a tad bit much. Yes, his pro career left a lot to be desired.

But make no mistake—as an Oregon Duck—Joey Harrington was a winner. 

Via statistics from the official Oregon Ducks football website GoDucks.com, the Portland native's overall winning percentage as a starter sits at just under ninety. He also was the first quarterback to amass an 11-win season in Eugene. Essentially, as a millennial version of Bill Musgrave, the accurate passer ushered Oregon into elite status. Before him, they were just another West Coast also-ran. After his tenure, they became a premier player north of Los Angeles—a program "on the rise" amongst the bigwigs in a highly competitive college football scene.

Harrington's fiery leadership could be viewed as a needed trait for the squads he played for at Oregon. Considering he had an 11-2 record in games where the team trailed or was tied in the fourth quarter, his on-field demeanor surely provided confidence (besides uniform fashion that was ahead of its time) in crucial moments of battle. The heralded 2000 Holiday Bowl comeback, or "Miracle In The Desert" (as chronicled by Oregon Football Analysis site FishDuck.com) are just a few examples of his uncanny knack for willing the troops to victory.

3. Darron Thomas (2008-2011)

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

No quarterback who has worn one of the near-infinite combinations of Oregon gear has ever gotten closer to winning a national championship. The ideal of this under-appreciated reality, accentuated by multiple efficient performances in huge games, makes Darron Thomas one of the most valuable QBs the Ducks have signed in their history.

Here's some key stats on Thomas, per GoDucks.com:

• Nearly led his team as a true freshman back from a 24-point, fourth-quarter deficit to Boise State.
• Became first Oregon QB in 11 seasons to throw a TD in his first ever game.
• In his first true game as a starter two years later, led Oregon to a 72-0 destruction of New Mexico.
• Threw for single-game career high 363 yards and BCS Championship Game record 81-yard pass in 2011 National Championship match versus Auburn.
• Completed 73 percent of his passes with three TDs in 2012 Rose Bowl Game against Wisconsin.
• Finished career at Oregon first in passing touchdowns with 66.

Darron Thomas was the guy who won the first-ever Pac-12 Championship Game in football. He's the Houston native who was part of a meteorically explosive quartet consisting of himself, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas (which solidified the talent-rich states of Texas and California as prime recruiting territory for the program). He was the poised player who gave Chip Kelly's frenzied up-tempo running attack the ability to gash teams up the seams and down the sidelines through the air.

More importantly, Thomas was the X-factor who almost single-handedly took down a mighty SEC champ on the biggest stage college has to offer.

2. Dennis Dixon (2004-2007)

Don Ryan/Associated Press

Is it easy not to recollect or simply disregard his impact as a mighty Duck? It shouldn't be—especially considering he was practically a shoo-in to become the school's first Heisman winner had he not blown out his knee one dreadful night in Arizona.

Dixon had one of the best senior seasons in Oregon's history. He tallied up wins on the road at Stanford plus home victories against ninth-ranked USC and sixth-ranked Arizona State, propelling the Ducks to No. 2 in the BCS rankings before his season-ending injury.

His signature win in 2007, however, actually wasn't against a conference foe. Rather, it was in "The Big House" at the University of Michigan on Sept. 8 of that year. With a dazzling display of play-fakes and offensive creativity, the Chip Kelly era began with a bang (as proclaimed by FishDuck.com) with a prototypical dual-threat quarterback at the helm.

In Oregon's first game of his senior season he scampered for an 80-yard TD against Houston; versus the Michigan Wolverines he launched an 85-yard bomb to Brian Paysinger for a score. In addition to his cobra-like striking tendencies, he was also careful with the football: In 2007, Dixon threw 146 passes without an interception before being picked off by the California Golden Bears.

At 6'4" and 205 pounds, Dixon possessed both the strong arm and elongated stride to excel as a big-play catalyst in the spread-option attack. His impact on the field was very similar to the current Duck starring behind center. From a regular-season and single-game statistical standpoint, Mariota and Dixon compare as near equals. It comes down to Dixon's lack of bowl wins and Mariota's better overall career consistency that gives the latter an edge in any head-to-head comparison. 

The San Leandro, California star ultimately finished his career as the all-time leader in quarterback rushing yards for Oregon with 1,208. Per GoDucks.com, he also set the single-season and all-time school records for passing completion percentage. Dixon was one of the most unstoppable offensive weapons ever to come through the Oregon program, and minus a major physical setback, he probably could have taken the Ducks to even greater heights.

1. Marcus Mariota (2011-Present)

Don Ryan/Associated Press

The most athletic, explosive quarterback in Oregon football history.

That is how you describe Marcus Mariota in ten words or fewer. Regardless of the final outcome of his redshirt junior campaign (that Arizona loss is still stinging), it's clear that UO fans can be nothing but grateful to witness another year of his awe-inspiring play.

The "Flying Hawaiian" technically could have left Eugene for the professional ranks after cruising past Texas in the Alamo Bowl last December. He is currently viewed as one of the top prospects in college at the position due to his many attributes, foremost among them his lightning-quick acceleration. Mariota doesn't simply run out of the pocket to slide for a first down, he launches from it like a rocket heading into another stratosphere.

In 2012, he burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman, finishing second on Oregon’s single-season total offensive yards list (3,429). He gained 135 yards on the ground and scored a passing, receiving and rushing touchdown versus Arizona State (including an 86-yard sprint that's a school record for a quarterback).

In the same year against USC, he amassed 400 yards of total offense in a 62-51 shootout win. The St. Louis High School product completed 20 of 23 passes with four TDs and zero INTs in a video game-like joust with the Trojans. Capping off the year with a Fiesta Bowl win over Kansas State, Mariota finished that season with 752 total yards rushing, the most any Duck QB has ever accounted for in a single campaign.

For 2013, Marcus showed improvement in reading defenses and evolved as a dual-threat passer, not just a speed merchant with a live arm. He finished the year as the conference leader in passing efficiency, and completed 65.8 percent of his throws with 31 touchdowns and just four interceptions. 

So far this season, he is leading the country with a 202.8 passer efficiency rating and is completing throws at a clip of 71.1 percent. Besides maybe better ball security under duress, there really aren't many flaws to his game (especially when you take into consideration the spotty protection he has endured from the current Duck O-line) at the college level.

The mild-mannered, soft-spoken leader of the Ducks has no rival as far as his predecessors at the position are concerned. Granted, there have been many who were able to do some of what he does, but none have offered the total package. The two-time postseason bowl game champion as a starter is not only the most athletic, explosive and efficient quarterback in Oregon football history. He also is the best.

Unless otherwise noted, all additional statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.