As Ducks Turn Page From 2014 to 2015, Quarterback Discussion Looms Large
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
The week since Oregon’s College Football Playoff National Championship appearance has been filled with recruiting, game review and player meetings for UO coach Mark Helfrich.
The sting of defeat was muted in part by all those necessary tasks. “That’s probably been a blessing and a curse,” Helfrich said Monday, seven days since the loss to Ohio State. “You have to flush it and move on, to a certain extent. But initially right after that is tough.”
As the Oregon football team enters its 2015 offseason, no subject will dominate discussion in the coming months like the quarterback position. The Ducks are sending a transcendent player, Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, off to the NFL draft. His replacement needs to be identified before the Sept. 5 opener against Eastern Washington.
Of the four returning quarterbacks on the roster, Jeff Lockie has the most experience after two seasons backing up Mariota. The Ducks also plan to sign at least one new quarterback in the current recruiting cycle. “We’re going to exhaust every path to find the right guy,” Helfrich said. “But we certainly believe in who’s on campus.”
Lockie, who will be a junior in 2015, is 29-of-41 for his career, for 264 yards and a touchdown plus one interception. He’s also rushed nine times for 32 yards and a TD; asked if that experience gives Lockie an edge in the race to replace Mariota, Helfrich said “he should certainly look at it that way.”
Also on the roster are sophomore-to-be Taylor Alie, a Eugene walk-on and the holder/quarterback for Oregon’s point-after attempts in 2014; sophomore-to-be Ty Griffin, a redshirt last season after transferring from Georgia Tech; and Morgan Mahalak, who will be a redshirt freshman in 2015 after sharing scout-team duty with Griffin last season.
Griffin and Mahalak “did, I would say, average to above average jobs of staying dialed-in” over the course of the 2014 campaign, Helfrich said. “That’ll be a huge step for them this winter and early spring, getting their minds right to compete, to be in the best position from a mental standpoint, a confidence standpoint, to just play,” Helfrich added.
Whoever is tabbed to replace Mariota, he won’t be pressured internally to replicate his predecessor’s historic production. Mariota set Pac-12 records for total offense (5,224) and total touchdowns (58) in a single season, but his replacement will have the luxury of leaning heavily on a supporting cast that should include the likes of Royce Freeman, Thomas Tyner, Byron Marshall, Dwayne Stanford, Tyler Johnstone and more.
“All those guys, you have to step up with confidence, but within yourself,” Helfrich said of the quarterbacks. “He’s not going to run 4.4 (seconds in the 40-yard dash), to use Jeff as an example, but being a distributor, being a point guard, being a great leader, being a teacher in the offseason are things he can do, and he needs to do. Guys don’t have to do super-human things. They have to be a better version of themselves each day, and fit the scheme where they’re asked to do that.”
Along with Mariota’s production, the Ducks will need to replace his presence behind the scenes as a leader. That applies as well to the likes of center Hroniss Grasu, receiver Keanon Lowe, linebacker Tony Washington and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, as Oregon turns the page from 2014 to 2015.
During the offseason, coaches identify squad leaders at each position from which the game captains are selected each fall. “It’s one of those things you try to catalyze and spur a little bit,” Helfrich said, “but you also can’t fabricate it. A lot of that just has to happen naturally.”
Defensive end DeForest Buckner, who passed up a chance to enter the NFL draft as a junior, is an obvious leader for 2015 on his side of the ball. “There’s a bunch of guys offensively who have the juice, who have the credibility, who probably aren’t as comfortable as they will be a month from now, two months from now, behind the scenes,” Helfrich said.
As it currently stands, the Ducks will at least have leadership continuity from the coaching staff. Helfrich said he envisions his staff returning intact for the 2015 season.
“We sure hope so,” he said. “I don’t want to say I anticipate that – but I anticipate that.” Helfrich noted public reports of interest from other schools in UO assistants, adding that “there’s been a lot more behind the scenes, for multiple guys.
As is typical, there will be some roster turnover from one season to the next. Helfrich said receiver Chance Allen, cornerback Stephen Amoako and cornerback Dominique Harrison intend to transfer, after struggling to break into the regular rotation in 2014. Harrison ended up redshirting.
At a press conference Monday to wrap up the 2014 season, Helfrich opened with a statement that included a “thank you” to UO fans for their attendance at games.
“On the road as well, turning a bunch of road games into home games,” Helfrich said. “The Rose Bowl was incredible, and the representation at the national championship was incredible. I want to thank them, and I guess invite them back. Come back and buy some more season tickets, and enjoy the next version of the Ducks.”
Helfrich also said he met with players Monday and addressed with them the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which the coach called “a great day to celebrate and educate.”
