Darron Thomas Is The Man

The fashionable thing to do, now that Jermiah Masoli is gone for the entire 2010 season, is to assume Oregon's chance for a second consecutive Pac-10 championship (not to even mention National Title) has dropped to near zero.  Replacing Masoli is a task no one would have imagined necessary a few weeks ago, but now that it has happened, where does Oregon turn and what will the outcome be?

The first choice is to determine who takes his place.  There are technically several options, but the only realistic choices (barring many injuries similar to those of 2008) are Darron Thomas and Nate Costa.  Each man has his strengths and weaknesses, but I will say up front that I think either one can be a fine quarterback and can lead Oregon to the Rose Bowl in 2010.

Costa is a senior and has now 5 years in the Oregon system.  He is extremely intelligent and the players respect him and even come to him for advice.  He is undefeated as a starter (1-0).  Yes, he started only one game, last year against UCLA in Pasadena, but the Ducks did win 24-10, and it was a road game against a great defense.  He also played in relief of Jeremiah Mosoli in several games after the outcome was decided.  He clearly knows the offense well and is a great game manager.  Chip Kelley has said that in Oregon's system the quarterback can be like a point guard in basketball (distribute the ball wisely) and this role plays to Costa's ability.  He is a fairly good passer (decent arm and fairly good accuracy) and isn't as likely as Masoli to make poor judgements and costly mistakes.  Remember the fumbles and a few costly interceptions (by Masoli) sometimes at the worst times?  Costa is also a little taller than Masoli (6-1 vs. 5-11).

Costa has his faults too.  Yes, he is a little taller than Masoli, but 6-1 is still rather short for a quarterback, even at the college level.  Even though this is his 5th year, he has started only the one game last year.  Though it was a win, he was less than spectacular.  On the day he completed 9 of 17 passes for only 82 yards.  He did hit Jeff Maehl for a 20 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter but also threw an interception in his own end zone that gave UCLA their only touchdown of the game.  While as I mentioned UCLA had a strong defense, He still could not get the offense going in the first half.  His durability is also a question.  He has had two serious knee injuries, and the possibility that he could not be able to finish the season if named the starter is a real possibility.  His previous knee injuries may also mean that he will not be very mobile even though he has been in the past.  This was the case against UCLA, though he was not completely healed at the time.

Darron Thomas is the other choice.  He redshirted as a sophomore last year.  We all remember how he nearly led Oregon to a come from behind victory over Boise State in Eugene in 2008 as a true freshman.  On the day he passed for 210 yards, 3 touchdowns and just one interception in relief of the injured Masoli.  Oregon had trailed 37-13 but came to within 37-32 before the Broncos recovered a late onside kick and ran out the clock.  Thomas appeared in a few games later in the year but threw very few passes, and little football he did play the rest of the year (passing especially) he was not as impressive.  Still, he finished the year with a 3 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. 

Thomas is 6-3 (some list him at 6-4) and weighs 205 pounds.  He is built much like Dennis Dixon.  He is extremely fast and can run like a tailback.  He is also a much better passer than Masoli as he is more accurate and has a (slightly) stronger arm.  Thomas may not be as knowledgeable as the heady Costa, but he is very intelligent.  Going into his third year, he knows the system, and though he has been in Eugene two years less than Costa he has about as much real game experience.  Many have pointed out how quickly Chip Kelley can develope quarterbacks.  If he can learn to operate the spread even remotely as well as Masoli (or Dixon), his speed and strong passing skills will give him a chance to have an even better season than Masoli had in 2009.

So who gets the knod?  It will depend on Spring practice and early fall results.  Costa might seem the safer choice.  But Thomas has two more years after this next season and clearly is the future.  If Costa wins the job in 2010, Oregon will still have to turn the job over to Thomas (or someone else) in 2011.  Why not let Thomas have the job this year, unless Costa outperforms him hands down this spring?

Is it worth sacrificing wins in 2010 to get Thomas's feet wet?  I don't think thats a question, since I think Oregon is a better team with him as the starter.  It helps that Oregon opens against New Mexico in Eugene.  Even if Thomas shows he is very green, the Ducks should be fine in this game.  The real test will come the week after when the Ducks travel to the state of Tennessee. 

Oregon, given the starters who are returning, is still the best team in the Pac-10 and should still be favored to win it.  I do hope that Masoli does stay and redshirt this season, though if he does he will not be the starter in 2011, unless Thomas is injured.