Brock has been a fun story, and he’s done what has been asked of him. I’m rooting for him.

That said, I do have concerns if he’s the legit #2 option and OBD ends up needing him to come in and win a game against a top-tier opponent.

I fully believe that he’s moved ahead of Moga. But it’s more difficult for me to believe that he’s truly a better option than Novosad. Is Novosad not as good as we generally think? Or is this really about something else such as a potential medical redshirt or Dan not wanting scouting film on his next starter?

Yes, Brock went 4/4 and led the team admirably yesterday, and in very poor conditions. But if I’m being honest I feel like they have to really back down the offense for Brock, and that circus-catch by Moore really should have been a pick.

I tend to think that if OBD were behind, or playing a more dangerous team, we would see Novosad enter the game. I’m guessing we didn’t see him yesterday because Dan trusted that the defense would hold against an inept Wisconsin offense.

I’d be curious to hear thoughts on this.

I didn’t see it but apparently Novosad was warming up and everyone expected him to go in. Then, BT came onto the field instead.

I think Novosad will enter the portal.

Coach DL was asked the question in a interview as to why Novosad and Moga did not get playing time and Brock did?

DL said that you earn your way onto the field by your effort and performance in practice. And Brock earned the playing time. Says it all right there!

Personally there is no mystery here. Brock beat the other QB's out for playing time. No matter our expectations of any of these QB's, they are not performing well enough to beat out Brock.

The best players who earn it play in the games. 4 RB's are watching 2 freshman getting the snaps.

Let's hope Brock keeps improving each week. He played well in some monsoon conditions. Handled some bad snaps and did not turn the ball over.

Need better than that from the back-ups moving forward to win if starters go down.

Go Ducks......

FWIW, my impression:

Novo was warming up and looked to be entering the game. But then his last warm-up throw was a bit awkward....TV goes to timeout and comes back with Thomas lined up behind center.

1 hour ago, bbmichaels said:

That said, I do have concerns if he’s the legit #2 option and OBD ends up needing him to come in and win a game against a top-tier opponent.

How many teams can expect their backup QB to win a game against a top-tier opponent?

We are not even sure if Oregon’s #1 QB can win a game against a “top-tier opponent.” LOL.

I don’t know if Northwestern or Montana State is Oregon’s best win to date.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by OregonDucks

Brock Thomas was a 3* walk on out of Sheldon High School.

Justin Herbert would have been a 3* walk on Sheldon High School if Oregon had not offered him a scholarship at almost the last minute.

I don't think we should think of Brock as "just a walk on". I think we should look at him as a very talented young QB that is on the rise and capable of leading this team.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Jon Sousa

19 minutes ago, OregonDucks said:

How many teams can expect their backup QB to win a game against a top-tier opponent?

Oregon should be one of them with the amount of NIL and nationally ranked recruiting classes.

15 minutes ago, OregonDucks said:

How many teams can expect their backup QB to win a game against a top-tier opponent?

Only championship caliber teams...which is kind of the point.

Preseason the narrative seemed to be that Novosad was pushing Moore and really competing for the QB1 role. If that was truly the case I would expect him to be able to step in and potentially win a big game against a top opponent.

The new narrative is that Brock earned the playing time at practice. So does that mean that Novosad isn't really the QB1-b that we assumed he was? Or is that not the full story and there is more going on? I personally think it's the latter.

Could be injury(as in saving a medical redshirt), attitude in practice, or Brock’s ability, as the reason that his number get’s called.

The coaches send in players that have talent, and a team first attitude. Those are the guys that you want on the field. All others are waiting for their opportunity to contribute.

The team is showing growing pains, and ranked #6 in the country, not bad.

All I expect is for the team to be prepared for the next opponent, and put the players that deserve to be on the field in a position to be successful.

The problem with sports, success is never guaranteed.

35 minutes ago, bbmichaels said:

Only championship caliber teams...which is kind of the point.

I’m sorry but that is no longer the world we live in. With the transfer portal, once a QB gets beat out they are going to transfer.

The best you can hope for is for your backup QB to be serviceable if your starter is injured (which Brock was) and beat some average or below teams.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by OregonDucks

Did we ever actually learn what Novosad's injury was?

I have been dealing with rotator cuff issues for years.

That has the potential to be a nagging issue for a throwing arm. If the rehab is not complete, or marginally unsuccessful, it can be a nightmare in throwing situations.

I don't know what the issue is, as I honestly have no idea what the injury was.

1 hour ago, Jon Sousa said:

Brock Thomas was a 3* walk on out of Sheldon High School.

Justin Herbert would have been a 3* walk on Sheldon High School if Oregon had not offered him a scholarship at almost the last minute.

I don't think we should think of Brock as "just a walk on". I think we should look at him as a very talented young QB that is on the rise and capable of leading this team.

This. I recall mentioning on this forum that Brock Thomas probably had the best spring game performance.

Perhaps he is actually better than everyone other than Moore.

It was odd to see Novosad warming up. Maybe he was trying to show the coaches he was ready to go too.