**Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the Emerald’s Duck Season magazine, a preview of the Oregon football team’s upcoming season that is currently available for free at all Duck Store locations in Eugene. We will post each story in the days leading up to the first day of fall practice on Aug. 10.
The debate over whether Vernon Adams or Jeff Lockie should be Oregon’s next starting quarterback boils down to one factor: experience.
Adams’ claim to experience is the fact that he played in 37 games for Eastern Washington over three years, though most of the games took place in the FCS.
Jeff Lockie, meanwhile, has been a part of Oregon’s program for three years and has had more experience practicing in its complicated spread-option offense. But Lockie has never started; he has only attempted 41 passes and nine rushes in the past two years after red shirting his freshman year.
Adams’ impressive track record as a starter is undeniable.
In his 37 games, Adams has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns, along with 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing. He was the College Football Performance Awards FCS National Performer of the Year in 2013 and a two-time runner up for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS each year.
But the one fact that separates the two is that only one of them has started multiple games against Pac-12 opponents, and it isn’t the one who’s worn green and gold for three seasons.
Adams didn’t just start in games against Oregon State and Washington, but he was electric in them.
At Oregon State in 2013, he totaled 411 passing yards, 107 rushing yards, and six total touchdowns in an upset 49-46 win. In a 59-52 loss Washington, he passed for 475 yards and seven touchdowns, while gaining 16 on the ground.
Lockie had a similarly impressive performance earlier this year. He passed for 223 yards and three touchdowns, completing all nine of his attempts. On the ground, he had two carries for 16 yards.
The problem: it was the spring game.
In what was essentially a glorified practice, Lockie was facing members of his own team in front of a smaller, friendly crowd at Autzen Stadium.
“There will be some modifications, but it will be recognized American football. Hopefully,” head coach Mark Helfrich said as he outlined the spring games format earlier this year.
The red jersey Lockie wore during the game meant his teammates, as with any practice, couldn’t hit him. Judging Lockie’s performance can be difficult since he didn’t face pressure from the opposing defense, a crucial aspect of a starting quarterback’s job.
Plus, Adams was born in Pasadena, California. Where is the Rose Bowl played each year? Pasadena. That may be grasping at straws, but it’s an interesting nugget nonetheless.
In an ironic twist of fate, Adams’ first game as a Duck will come against his former team, EWU, on September 5 at Autzen Stadium.
If Adams does land the starting job, he will have a chance to thank his former for allowing him to flourish for three years by trying to hand them their first loss of the season.
Expect him to get that chance.
Follow Jack Heffernan on Twitter @JackTHeffernan