The competition for Oregon’s starting quarterback job has quickly become Indecision 2010.
Head coach Chip Kelly is not expected to make his decision before the week of September 4, the Ducks’ season opener against New Mexico. A formal scrimmage, scheduled for Thursday, is expected to be a critical barometer in deciding between redshirt senior Nate Costa and redshirt sophomore Darron Thomas.
More importantly, neither quarterback has separated himself significantly through two weeks of competition.
“Darron’s done a nice job in the short passing game. He’s taking care of the ball very well,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Helfrich said. “Nate has done a nice job at times too, getting a couple unnecessary turnovers.”
Those turnovers — nearly all interceptions — gave Thomas a slim lead in the competition, but Costa made up ground with strong performances in his second week. Ball security has been an issue early in spring practice, giving turnovers extra weight.
“We’ve turned the ball over too much,” Helfrich said. “Nate has a few more turnovers than Darron does, and we’re trying to fix that, but both guys are being efficient.”
Costa is well aware of what’s worked in his favor in the competition: “The same things that always work — getting my read keys before the play, not rushing it, making smart decisions.
“What hasn’t worked is when I kind of rush myself. I force plays.”
To his credit, Costa has thrown the football with more consistent form than Thomas. The redshirt sophomore from Houston does not always set his feet correctly, leading to passes with additional arm action. These passes float on Thomas, giving defenders more time to make plays on them.
“It’s a lot of work, just with my feet — Coach Helfrich has been helping me out, Coach Kelly has been helping me out,” Thomas said. “Getting better and better every day, working on drills.”
With two fewer years of experience with the offense — and many of the senior starters — Thomas has had to show command of his peers in addition to the playbook.
“Leadership is getting better. I see the guys more, talking to the O-line more,” Thomas said. “They’re already on my side. I just want to make sure they hear my voice — my voice is a little bit deeper.
“We don’t know who the quarterback gonna be. Right now, we’re trying to get the whole offense better,” Thomas said.
The competition will come down to a simple blueprint for success that Thomas is committing to.
“I’ve got to work on more consistency. I want to be consistent every day. I want to get better every day,” Thomas said.
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