For the second time in 6 years, the Oregon Ducks played for and lost the national championship. Even though they lost, the Ducks also had their first ever Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota.
It may have seemed like Marcus Mariota Quarterbacked the Ducks for 5 or 6 seasons, but he was only there for 3 solid years.
In the 2014 college football season, Mariota threw for 4,454 yards and 42 Touchdowns against only 4 Interceptions. Mariota ran for 770 yards and 15 Touchdowns.
Those numbers, plus the Ducks’ record was enough to win the Heisman for Mariota. Over his 3 year career, Mariota threw for 10,796 yards and 105 Touchdowns. He only threw 14 Interceptions in 1,167 passing attempts which is absolutely amazing. To put that in some kind of prospective, Florida State’s Jameis Winston threw 18 Interceptions in his sophomore season alone.
In 3 seasons, Mariota also ran for 2,237 yards and another 29 Touchdowns.
The Oregon Ducks have had a long line of top Quarterbacks. Mariota replaced Darron Thomas, and even though Thomas was really good he was not on the same level as Mariota. Before Thomas was Dennis Dixon, Kellen Clemons, Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, going all the way back to Dan Fouts. Mariota may never match the NFL success of Dan Fouts, but none of those other guys ever matched the college success of Marcus Mariota.
There’s no given that the Oregon Ducks will ever have another Quarterback on the level of Marcus Mariota, or even close.
So, what’s next for the Oregon Ducks other than different uniforms in nearly every game? What happens to the Ducks offense when there’s somebody else besides Marcus Mariota standing behind Center?
The only Quarterback on the Ducks Spring Roster that has any experience is Jeff Lockie. Lockie is a 6-2, 200 Junior to be from Alamo, California. He threw for 57 yards in 2013 and ran for 5. This past season, he threw for 207 yards and ran for 4 yards. Clearly, he does not have the speed of Mariota even if he were to have the same type of live arm. As a high school Quarterback in California, Lockie threw for over 5,000 yards but he ran for very few.
Clearly, if Lockie is going to replace Mariota at the Quarterback spot for the Ducks, they will not have the mobile Quarterback that they prefer to run their offense. He is not a stiff old school drop back passer by any means, but he’s never going to be a huge running threat.
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Morgan Mahalak was a member of the 2014 recruiting class and he redshirted last season. Mahalak was a 4 star recruit from Kentfield, California and is listed at 6-3, 185. This Spring will maybe clear some things up with Mahalak and the other prospects, but Mahalak is very athletic, very mobile and seems to have the arm strength. Even though he is very athletic and can run, he’s not going to have the same kind of speed as Mariota and all we have seen him take the ball down and run effectively was against high school opponents. That doesn’t always translate to the next level, but Mahalak could possibly be the next starting Quarterback for the Ducks.
The Ducks also have Ty Griffin who is a transfer from Georgia Tech. Griffin was recruited by Georgia Tech to run their version of the option offense so the mobility is there, but whether he has the arm strength remains to be seen. He is listed at 6-0, 190 but there are a number of talented Quarterbacks at 6 foot or below.
His younger brother, Taj Griffin, is a Running Back recruit from Powder Springs, Georgia in the latest Oregon recruiting class and is an impressive 4 star talent.
Taylor Allie is a walk-on. He has some ability from what I have seen of him, but the odds are clearly stacked against him.
Travis Waller is a member of the 2015 recruiting class and an early enrollee and will participate in Spring practice. Waller was another 4 star recruit and could be the guy of the future for the Ducks. He is 6-3, 195 and super athletic. Waller’s high school tape is really impressive. He seems to have a live arm and can make all of his throws, and he definitely is scary when he pulls the ball down to run. If I were a betting man, I would almost bet the farm that Travis Waller is the long term solution.
Another intriguing prospect will not be at Oregon until the summer.
Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams will graduate in May from his school and be eligible to transfer and play right away. In the 2014 season, Adams threw for 3,843 yards and 35 Touchdowns. One can say that he faced questionable competition while at Eastern Washington, but he threw for 475 yards and 7Touchdowns against Washington.
I am looking forward to the Spring Game so we can see most of these guys in action. Right now, I am thinking Lockie starts early, but Vernon Adams comes in and outplays him later and takes over the starting job. Morgan Mahalak might challenge for the starting job and I suspect Travis Waller redshirts and challenges for the starting role in 2016. Ty Griffin may see some action just because he is such a talented athlete.
Like I have said all of my life, the fun of college football is to see all of the changes over the years. Replacing Heisman winner Marcus Mariota is not going to be an easy task for the Oregon coaching staff, but this will be a fun competition to keep an eye on.