Just about everything went as scripted Saturday: The Ducks moved the ball with ease against I-AA Portland State en route to 55 points, the Oregon defense shut down the Vikings in the second half, both teams played a host of backups, and the crowd was about as quiet and sparse as its been in many years at Autzen Stadium while most turned their attention to next week’s homecoming battle against rival Washington. (In fact, the largest ovation Saturday came after the announcement that Oregon State had hung on to defeat then-No. 3 USC 33-31.)
None of that, aside from the Beavers’ nail-biting upset, was too surprising considering Oregon’s opponent Saturday.
But seeing true freshman Nathan Costa, Oregon’s third-string quarterback, take the field with the game all but over was certainly the most shocking.
Costa had yet to play this season and, with four games remaining plus a bowl game, is unlikely to play for the remainder of the season with Washington, USC, Arizona and Oregon State remaining on the schedule. Suddenly none of those games, aside from possibly Arizona, look like they’ll be blowout victories.
So why waste the first year of Costa’s eligibility for a few meaningless snaps?
If Costa would not have stepped onto the field this season, the coaching staff would have had the opportunity to utilize his redshirt, which would save a year of his eligibility. With Brady Leaf and Dennis Dixon as seniors next season, Costa would have been in position to be the starting quarterback in 2008 as a sophomore.
As it stands after Saturday, he’ll likely be the starter as a junior and play only two full years behind center instead of three – all because he played a few worthless plays against an inferior opponent.
That doesn’t add up.
I can understand the desire to give Costa some experience, but coming in at the juncture he did against Portland State is hardly quality game-experience.
It makes much more sense to redshirt Costa, give him practice reps as the third-stringer and play him only by necessity – say if Dixon and Leaf go down with injuries. If that did happen, Costa could have still dropped the redshirt if need be at any given point in the season.
Plus, there are three freshman quarterbacks on the roster. Costa quickly distinguished himself in fall camp as the most viable third-string option because he fits the system so well. So why is it that his eligibility is used up this season and the others’ saved?
The same questions were asked when Dixon was used primarily in garbage time as a true freshman in 2004. Dixon admitted that seeing Costa go into the game Saturday brought him back to his days as a freshman – days he admitted he wished he had back had he been granted a redshirt year behind incumbent quarterback Kellen Clemens. If that had been the case, Dixon would be a sophomore right now. Could you imagine him, Jonathan Stewart, and Jaison Williams for two more years after this season?
Unfortunately, you won’t get that opportunity.
I guess the one consolation for Oregon fans Saturday is that they got a good look at a guy in Costa who represents the future of Oregon football. And what an encouraging look to the start of a career it was.
It’s just too bad that this career is now cut short a year because of a few irrelevant plays.
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