Ivar Vong
After practice on Friday, Aug. 27, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich called them in.
Darron Thomas and Nate Costa entered the office separately, with the two coaches outlining their ultimate decision.
“We were honest. That’s what we’ve tried to do all through this, just keep those guys abreast of where we are,” said Helfrich, who doubles as the Ducks’ quarterbacks coach. “As we approach a game week, we need to hone things in.”
Thomas, a redshirt sophomore from Houston, and Costa, a fifth-year senior from Hilmar, Calif., were informed of their fate.
Kelly then left Eugene for a function in Portland; the rest of the team would find out with the first snap of Saturday’s practice. So too would the media, whom Kelly led to believe that Saturday would mark the announcement.
“We felt it was very important to inform those two guys first, then come out on the field and practice,” Helfrich said.
At 5:34 p.m. that evening, the athletic department’s official Twitter account for publicly released information linked to a press release, saying simply, “Thomas Named Ducks Quarterback.”
Word spread like wildfire through local media channels, the general public and the football players themselves.
“Somebody texted me and told me,” said running back LaMichael James, whose first chance at working with Thomas will come September 11 at Tennessee. “One of my friends told me, ‘Hey, Darron’s the quarterback.’ I was like, ‘Really?’”
Thomas did his repetitions with the first team in Saturday’s practice to confirm beyond all possible doubt. Costa worked with the second team.
The practice was Oregon’s first of the “game week,” with scout team members donning red jerseys and lining up in expected formations.
“Darron had a good practice, and Nate had a good practice,” Helfrich said. “That tells a lot about how you and your teammates handle it. They both did great, and the team ended up doing really well.”
So what swung the coaches in favor of Thomas over Costa?
“One of the things with both those guys, it was a body of work through the spring, through preseason camp,” Kelly said. “We sat down with the staff, had a long discussion about it, and we just feel for where we are offensively and what we’re going to do that he’s the best choice.
“You only can pick one. If I could pick two, I would’ve picked two. And it’s a tough thing because I care so much about Nate. I know what Nate means to this program, but you can’t play two quarterbacks.”
Thomas said he received “a lot of support from the guys, just saying ‘get ready, let’s go, step it on.’”
“I’m just thankful to be here and to be in this position,” he said. “But it’s just the beginning. I haven’t did nothing yet; this is just one fall camp. Now it’s on to games and leading the team through games.”
And what of Costa? The fifth-year senior fought back physically and mentally from three devastating knee injuries. His leadership and presence on the team, many figured, would be valuable for a starting quarterback.
“Nate took it the way I would anticipate Nate to take it. Nate’s awesome,” Kelly said. “I’m sure he’s disappointed, and it’s gotta be tough when you’re told you’re not going to be the guy right now.”
Costa admitted to reporters after Saturday’s practice that he was “a little bit disappointed.”
“I feel pretty confident in Darron’s abilities to lead this team, and I’m going to follow him,” Costa said. “He had a better fall camp, when you look at it. That’s why he won the competition.”
The oft-acknowledged elephant on the field is the prospect of quarterback injury. Costa, who said he expects quite a bit of playing time, knows this all too well. If not for a knee injury suffered in 2008 fall camp, Duck fans would have never known about Jeremiah Masoli, or deeply missed him.
There is, of course, more to the depth chart than what lies on the surface. Oregon’s No. 3 quarterback this fall will be Bryan Bennett, a true freshman from Encino, Calif., who wowed spectators and earned praise from coaches for his fall camp performance.
“I feel like it went pretty good. It’s just a lot of hard work and, you know, picking up this playbook to kind of be comfortable with what we’re doing,” Bennett said. “That’s all going to come with time and I’m getting to feel a little more comfortable as the days come.”
Bennett, looking at times like the best quarterback on the Ducks’ roster, has a better feel for the college game after watching an intense, month-long competition for the starting spot.
“You know, I thought either one of those guys were capable of getting it done,” he said. “I’m excited for Darron, hoping he goes in there and does well, which I think he will.”
