Oregon-Stanford: Ducks Still Have Many Unanswered Questions

Yesterday, the Oregon Ducks managed to escape the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium with a 35-28 victory. Do not be fooled: The game was not as close as the score dictates. Oregon was not firing on all cylinders throughout the afternoon.

Oregon fumbled the ball four times, with two of them leading to a Stanford touchdown and a field goal respectively. A high snap by Oregon center Max Unger led to an Oregon safety. The possession afterwards led to a Stanford touchdown with a failed two-point conversion. Add up all these totals and you have 18 Stanford points.

Aside from the safety, every other turnover was committed during an Oregon drive that would have led to at least three points. If Oregon had not turned the ball over, they would have won by a much larger margin.

What or who can be blamed for these mishaps? The weather? While the Ducks should be used to practicing in the rain, the team actually practices inside the comforts of the Moshofsky Center. If Oregon does not want to relive the embarrassment of Nov. 8, 2008, then they need to start practicing in the rain to better prepare themselves for the weather.

Another thing that Oregon fans are wondering about is the seemingly infinite faith that Coach Bellotti has in JUCO transfer Jeremiah Masoli, and his seemingly nonexistent faith in freshman Darron Thomas.

I will give Masoli credit. His 25-yard run in the Ducks' last drive of the game helped to set up LeGarrette Blount's game-winning touchdown. The only thing that really concerns me about Masoli is his consistency.

I like to say that Jeremiah Masoli is consistently inconsistent. He can have one good game, but they are uncommon.

What scares me about Masoli is that he is very uncomfortable in the pocket and will choose to run more often than pass. Granted, Oregon employs the spread option offense, which allows for a dual-threat quarterback, but as of late Oregon seems to be using a modified Wishbone offense.

For Oregon to succeed in the spread option, a quarterback is needed who can not only run, but can pass as well. This is what I see in Darron Thomas. Yes, I have said it before, and I will say it until I am proved otherwise.

Anytime a freshman quarterback, or any quarterback for that matter, can post 210 yards passing and three touchdowns in one quarter, and on only 10 percent of the snaps in practice, you know that you have a special athlete.

Thomas is a four-star recruit. What astounds me the most is that even after his amazing performance that single-handedly brought the Ducks back to almost winning the Boise State game, Thomas has not been given the nod since. What does a player have to do to earn a coach's trust or confidence?

Mike Bellotti could learn a lot from Chris Petersen, head coach of the Boise State Broncos, or Jim Tressel, the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. These coaches have chosen to have complete confidence in their young quarterbacks. Look at what they've done.

While talent is a big portion of how good a player can perform, confidence also plays a crucial factor. If a quarterback knows that his coach has complete confidence in him, it lessens the load that he has to carry on his shoulders.

My plea is this, Coach Bellotti: Find confidence in your players. You have the talent, and you have the potential, but your players lack the confidence. Whoever you choose to lead the offense at quarterback is not my decision, but please, assure your players that you have complete confidence in them.

If and when you do, they will perform for you, and you will see a Ducks team that you know is inside of every one of your players.