Oregon Quarterback Controversy: Are We Really Having This Conversation?

Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas went down with a minor injury, which forced him to miss the Ducks’ game against Colorado. He started against Washington State last week, only to be replaced in the second half.

His backup, Bryan Bennett, played really well in those games, racking up 244 passing yards, four touchdowns and 94 rushing yards total.

Now, some people are wondering if there is a quarterback controversy in Eugene. Head coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich have denied any controversy: “100 percent, it’s Darron Thomas,” Helfrich said of the situation.

And they are right. This talk about Bennett taking over for Thomas is absolutely ludicrous.

First of all, let’s look at who Bennett has had serious playing time against: Nevada, Colorado and Washington State. Those teams have a combined record of 9-16.

Thomas, on the other hand, has played in a bunch of big games, including the BCS national championship last year, and he almost won the game.

Second, look at Bennett’s passing statistics: Against FBS opponents, he has completed a seriously underwhelming 48 percent of his passes for just 7.7 yards per attempt. Also, against FBS opponents, Thomas is completing 60 percent of his passes for 7.9 yards per attempt. And unlike Bennett, that includes a game against LSU.

Bennett may have more rushing yards, but it’s not like Thomas can’t run the ball—he has 108 rushing yards on the season on 23 carries. He was just having a bad game after coming back from an injury the week before, which is why Chip Kelly replaced him in the second of last week’s game. That doesn’t mean that Thomas is being replaced, nor should it.