At any time, Oregon’s quarterback situation was a mystery in its 41-24 win over Colorado Saturday night.
Vernon Adams didn’t partake in the game of musical chairs because, as Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich put it after the game: “it was a different situation this week than last, let’s say.”
It was a two-man contest, one that began with veteran Jeff Lockie, and succeeded with Eugene-native Taylor Alie.
Neither walked off Folsom Field sitting in the final chair.
“They have differences, there are some strengths and weaknesses to different areas of their game, and we’ll think about that going forward,” Helfrich said.
Lockie manned the Ducks’ first three offensive drives, accumulating two completions for 11 yards and an interception in the end zone. Then Helfrich gave the sophomore Alie the nod.
“We felt, looking at the game plan, we could parcel out aspects for each,” Helfrich said after the game. “We had it divvied up pretty well in our minds, unless something freaky happened.”
Nothing freaky happened. In fact, nothing at all happened from the Oregon quarterbacks early on in this game.
Alie’s first drive ended without a first down. His second started with a nice five-yard run up the middle, but a false start penalty killed the momentum and forced the Ducks to again punt without attaining a new set of downs.
The two quarterbacks combined tallied three completions and 14 yards in the opening quarter. Oregon failed in all four third down tries, and the score was tied, 7-7.
In the second, Lockie and Alie played in two drives each. Lockie finished the first half as the Ducks quarterback, tossing five completions in six attempts for 36 yards. Alie went 2-for-4 for 37 yards.
“We had it in mind that that might be the way (coaches decided),” Alie said. “It was just up to the coaches, whatever they felt is what we needed at the time was up to them.”
Neither separated himself from the other. The score at halftime echoed the same tune, with the game tied 17-17.
Wide receiver Bralon Addison was the only Duck with a touchdown pass at the half.
In the second half, things changed. Oregon’s patience for the passing game to emerge ran thin. After throwing 16 total passes in the first half, the two quarterbacks threw four passes total in the second. Just two were completed.
But the Ducks converted 16 more first downs, five of which came on third down, and scored 24 points.
It was obvious what they did: they ran. Even the quarterbacks ran, causing Oregon to run away with the victory.
“I feel like we can (carry the offense),” running back Taj Griffin said after the game. “We definitely have to get some things to work in the passing game but, you know, we’re just going to keep getting better and go from here.”
The defense responded, too, shutting out the Buffaloes in the third quarter — the achilles heel of Oregon’s season so far. Whether the defense’s success is related to the offense change can’t be said for certain.
Nevertheless, the result remains an Oregon win in Boulder, Colorado.
The secret, however, is out: Oregon’s quarterback problem is, indeed, a problem. A problem that currently has just one solution — don’t throw the ball.
Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @AndrewBantly
The Oregon Ducks’ lone solution at quarterback
Andrew Bantly
October 3, 2015
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