When the most dramatic storyline during the course of a football game is whether or not the third-stringer will attempt a pass, chances are the scoreboard is going to be lopsided.
From the opening kickoff, Oregon left little doubt they were the more talented team. Over the course of the 70-14 romp over Colorado, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly emptied the roster — Ayele Forde, Kenny Bassett and Bill Chimphalee all tallied carries at running back. These are names Oregon fans haven’t necessarily had to commit to memory just yet. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205720917@@ @@checked names@@
For starting quarterback Marcus Mariota, it was the seventh game of the year he shared the load under center after ceding his duties to backup Bryan Bennett and, later, third-stringer Dustin Haines (who, if you were wondering, didn’t attempt a pass). In fact, only against Fresno State has Mariota seen the full share of snaps this season. So, what does Mariota do with all the extra time on his hands?
“I just like to think of all my decisions during the time that I played,” Mariota said. “But you also gotta coach up the other guys. They work just as hard as we do, and to see them go out there and be able to play and be able to show what they can do, it’s fun for me.”
Fellow starter Kenjon Barner agreed, adding that when you’ve done your job and punched out, it’s time to be “both a cheerleader and a coach.”
From the opening kickoff, Oregon left little doubt they were the more talented team. Over the course of the 70-14 romp over Colorado, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly emptied the roster — Ayele Forde, Kenny Bassett and Bill Chimphalee all tallied carries at running back. These are names Oregon fans haven’t necessarily had to commit to memory just yet. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205720917@@ @@checked names@@
For starting quarterback Marcus Mariota, it was the seventh game of the year he shared the load under center after ceding his duties to backup Bryan Bennett and, later, third-stringer Dustin Haines (who, if you were wondering, didn’t attempt a pass). In fact, only against Fresno State has Mariota seen the full share of snaps this season. So, what does Mariota do with all the extra time on his hands?
“I just like to think of all my decisions during the time that I played,” Mariota said. “But you also gotta coach up the other guys. They work just as hard as we do, and to see them go out there and be able to play and be able to show what they can do, it’s fun for me.”
Fellow starter Kenjon Barner agreed, adding that when you’ve done your job and punched out, it’s time to be “both a cheerleader and a coach.”
The decision Bennett made last August — to stay at Oregon and back up Mariota instead of exploring a transfer — is more important than ever. The Encino, Calif., native scrambled for three rushing touchdowns against Colorado and again proved his ability to shoulder the load if anything happened to Mariota. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204971236&Q_SEASON=2012@@
“I thought Bryan played great,” head coach Chip Kelly said after the game, praising the sophomore’s athleticism.
Compared to the calm, collected Mariota, Bennett has looked erratic at times this year, especially on long throws. But often forgotten in the discussion of his play has been those surrounding him. When Mariota heads for the bench near the end of blowouts, the rest of the offensive starters frequently join him. Save for the major exception of Kelly’s power package of Bennett and tight end Colt Lyerla, Bennett helms the second unit. And while that squad is getting more time, it’s Bennett who receives too much credit and blame when things go wrong.
But things have rarely gone wrong this year. At 8-0, Oregon is sitting pretty as the conference’s only undefeated team. And backups or not, the Ducks’ reserves are an underrated reason for that.
