Let’s be honest. Last Saturday, when Darron Thomas left Oregon’s game against Arizona State with an undisclosed leg injury, most fans were feeling a little uneasy. Or, at the very least, they should have been feeling that way. When Bryan Bennett took the field, there was plenty of football left to play — more than 12 minutes remained in the third quarter — but the Ducks trailed the Sun Devils by a field goal. Arizona State had just marched down the field with little effort, going 67 yards in four plays to score a touchdown and take the lead.@@http://espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=312882483&period=3@@
Although Bennett has always impressed in practice and possesses all the tools to succeed in Oregon’s offense, he had a total of 96 yards and seven completions in his career with the Ducks. Asking a redshirt freshman with that little experience to lead a comeback against a ranked Arizona State squad seemed, at the least, a daunting task.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204971236&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Consider it done.
Yes, Bennett only completed two passes for 22 yards against the Sun Devils. But if you watched him operate the Oregon offense, you saw an understudy who seems ready to assume the lead role — eventually. While he did have some expected hiccups — including a controversial near-fumble that could have shifted the game’s momentum — Bennett was largely impressive in his first relevant game action for the program.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205266631@@
The most striking aspect of Bennett’s performance was his athleticism. The Encino, Calif., native had five carries for 65 yards, including a 36-yard scramble through a crowd of Arizona State defenders that brought Autzen Stadium back to life. This winter, Bennett recorded a 32.5 inch vertical jump — best among quarterbacks on the team — so this burst wasn’t unexpected. But seeing him put his athleticism to use against a defense that had been reliable against the run in the Pac-12 this season was notable.@@same@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204971236&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Don’t get me wrong; I want Darron Thomas back at the helm of the Oregon offense as quickly as possible. He’s an influential leader and a much stronger threat in the passing game. He’s also a proven entity, which at this point in the season is a necessity if Oregon has hopes of reaching and winning a BCS game for the first time in a decade.
But Saturday definitely changed my impressions of Bennett. When he does assume duties as Oregon’s permanent playcaller, I won’t be quite as nervous. Bennett obviously has the mettle to guide the team against a formidable opponent and clearly knows how to reduce mistakes and manage the ball when he needs to.
In reality, that’s all Bennett really has to do with the way Oregon is running the ball. It’s easy to attribute the team’s success on the ground to All-American LaMichael James, but even with him on the sideline the Ducks pretty much advanced the ball at will last weekend. When Thomas left, Arizona State knew that the Ducks’ attack was one-sided. Yet the Sun Devils were helpless in neutralizing Oregon’s stable of talented running backs.
De’Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner will serve as Oregon’s insurance over the next few weeks. Luckily for the Ducks, they don’t face a truly dangerous opponent until they take on Stanford on Nov. 12. By then, Darron Thomas will almost certainly be back to full strength to square off against Andrew Luck.
Call me overly optimistic. But if Oregon can run the ball against a quality defense on a ranked team — even when they appear to be completely one-dimensional — I’d be surprised to see any team not named LSU or Alabama stop them completely.
So if Bryan Bennett is thrust into a starting role against a mediocre opponent, I’d still take the Ducks. That being said, I wish Darron Thomas the quickest recovery possible.
Lieberman: Bryan Bennett has emerged as a capable backup
Daily Emerald
October 18, 2011
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