Vernon Adams Must Get Up to Speed If Oregon's to Stay in Playoff Contention

When Vernon Adams arrived at Oregon last month, one of the biggest questions surrounding his move from FCS program Eastern Washington involved how quickly he could pick up the Ducks’ fast-paced scheme.

The answer? Fast enough to satisfy Oregon’s coaches. Despite not earning his degree from Eastern Washington until after Oregon’s preseason practices began, Adams quickly passed veteran backup Jeff Lockie to earn the starting quarterback role.

However, as Saturday’s 31-28 loss at No. 5 Michigan State showed, Adams still has work to do to take Oregon to the levels it reached under Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

Adams flashed positives, completing 22 of 39 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown against a very tough defense, adding a rushing touchdown as well. But he also threw a pair of interceptions that hurt No. 7 Oregon’s hopes of getting a key road win under its belt.

Down 31-21 in the fourth quarter, Adams kept the Ducks alive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Byron Marshall with 3:25 to go.

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And after Oregon got the ball back at the Michigan State 48, a pair of Royce Freeman runs pushed the ball to the Spartans 33 with plenty of time to get in position for a potential game-tying field goal.

Marshall got open in the flat past his defender, and a good throw would’ve likely led to a game-winning score. But Adams overthrew him. On the next down, he scrambled too long, and Michigan State sacked him for a crucial 10-yard loss that ultimately took the Ducks out of field-goal range.

Both plays exposed his inexperience in the system. Adams is a marvelous athlete, and his athleticism helped him win a pair of Big Sky Player of the Year honors at Eastern Washington.

He studied the Oregon playbook all summer, but there’s no substitute for getting in rhythm with teammates and knowing where they’ll be at a particular moment.

A month of workouts is fine, but it’s no substitute for the sweat equity built with receivers on hot summer days—learning what they like, what they don’t and why.

Adams is learning that on the fly, and that steep learning curve hurt Oregon Saturday night.

Oregon’s playoff hopes took a hit Saturday night, but the team is far from dead. After all, last fall, Florida State was the only team to enter the College Football Playoff undefeated, and the Ducks demolished the Seminoles with ease in the Rose Bowl.

Few CFP committee members would begrudge a narrow loss in a tough environment like Spartan Stadium, but Oregon can’t afford another slip-up. Next week’s tune-up against Georgia State, one of the worst teams in the FBS, will help. And Sept. 26’s Pac-12 opener against Utah is at home.

The next big test will be an Oct. 17 trip to Washington, followed by an Oct. 29 trip to Arizona State. If Adams can get rolling by then, the Ducks stand an excellent chance of finding their offensive groove.

Until then, Adams needs to hit the playbook and pick up his offensive pace—quickly.