“It was pretty special. It was really cool to be out there with all the guys. You know, they put their trust in me…It was a lot of fun,” backup quarterback Brock Thomas said in his postgame after taking over for Dante Moore against Wisconsin. 

Thomas has not been a name thrown around the Ducks’ program much recently, but the backup quarterback and Eugene native showed why he is being used over other Oregon backups like Austin Novosad and Luke Moga. 

With no official starting quarterback during preseason, it left fans to speculate about who would fill that spot. The main front runners were Novosad and Dante Moore, with Thomas and Moga on the back burner. Dante Moore took the starting role and the backups were left to prove themselves week in and week out. 

“He was a guy that was down there chopping this up on the scout team and earning his stripes, and he’s worked really hard, and, you know, nobody’s earned that more than Brock,” head coach Dan Lanning said.

Novosad got the nod early, but spent time out with a pectoral injury. Being up to Thomas and Moga, Thomas secured his spot and has been the backup since the Northwestern game. 

Thomas has proven himself in practice; “(He) just shows up in practice every day. And we got a lot of quarterbacks that are playing a really high level, but he’s been very consistent,” Lanning said. 

Thomas has shown it out on the field when he has gotten the chance to perform in-game, leading head coach Dan Lanning to make the effortless decision to turn to Thomas either late in games where the Ducks are ahead, or when Dante Moore takes an injury, like he did in the Wisconsin game. 

Thomas against Wisconsin handled himself well, despite the conditions. He ended his night going having four completions on four attempts, had 46 yards and while that number seems low, the Ducks were focused on running the football all night. Dante Moore had only 86 yards in almost the same amount of gameplay that Thomas had. He had a 24-yard completion, his second longest of the season, and threw a touchdown to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson.  

“For Brock to come in and perform the way he did, really excited for him to be able to do that,” Lanning said. 

Lanning hammered home the team aspect of the Ducks when asked about the rest of the backup quarterbacks. “And (the fans) should also know that those other quarterbacks are doing a really good job in practice too,” Lanning said. “But Brock’s playing well guys.”

The Ducks have the luxury of multiple solid backup quarterbacks, and it just happens to be Thomas’ time to get the second spot. 

Dante Moore showed love for Thomas after the game, sneaking into the press room during Thomas’ post game in his street clothes.

“I love you Brock, you did your thing today baby,” Dante Moore said.

Dante Moore isn’t the only player to be singing the praises of Thomas. The whole team wants to see their teammate do well and the Ducks are enjoying watching Thomas get his chance.

 “(The fans) should go to our locker room and see them carry Brock Thomas up in the locker room after the game,” Lanning said. 

Thomas’ old Sheldon High School teammate Teitum Tuioti is also among the group. 

“He’s always been a dog,” Tuioti said in the weekly press conference after the Rutgers game. “He comes with the right mindset everyday, in practice…he gets his opportunity after all his hard work and I think it pays off for him.”

Thomas’ role for the remainder of the season won’t be ticketed for growth. Being the backup to a Heisman Trophy hopeful in Dante Moore is going to be where he stays for the time being.

That, though, is what the Ducks want. 

Thomas can take control of the offense and he makes minimal mistakes on the field — the biggest he had against Wisconsin was a pass that slipped through the defensive back’s hands thanks to the rain, and Dakorien Moore was able to reel it in for a completion. Thomas also had a botched snap that he had to chase down and pounce on. 

“Outside of that, Brock’s performed really well,” Lanning said. 

Thomas is a solid backup quarterback. The Ducks are bowl-eligible, and while Thomas likely won’t be getting a start to finish out the season, given what he was able to do against Wisconsin, he could see more playing time against Iowa, Minnesota and Washington.