2014 Season in Review: Quarterbacks
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
DEPTH CHART
QB: Marcus Mariota, Jr.; Jeff Lockie, So.; Taylor Alie, RFr.; Morgan Mahalak, Fr.; Ty Griffin, RFr.
Starter: This was a season unlike any other in Oregon football history. Junior Marcus Mariota became the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner, sweeping every major player of the year award nationally while rewriting school and Pac-12 record books along the way. Mariota set conference records for total offense (5,224), total touchdowns (58) and passing touchdowns (42), and became Oregon’s leader in passing yards for a career (10,796) and a single season (4,454). With 770 rushing yards, Mariota set a career high and tied Maurice Morris for 10th on the UO career rushing list with 2,237. The three-year starter, who played in all 41 games of his career and completed a TD pass in each one, was a leader in the locker room, guiding the Ducks to a Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl victory. And he was a consummate role model in the community, completing his academic degree during the fall, handling himself with remarkable poise in the public eye despite a natural aversion to the spotlight, and continuing to generously give of his time to the local Boys & Girls Club.
Reserves: For the first time in three years, Jeff Lockie had a spot on the depth chart to himself. The sophomore backup played in 10 games, and threw a pass in five. His most extensive playing time was in nonconference victories over South Dakota and Wyoming; Lockie combined to go 17-of-20 in those games, for 185 yards and a touchdown (he was 4-of-8 the remainder of the season). That early playing time carried over into practices, as Lockie demonstrated a new level of decisiveness and zip on his passes for several weeks afterward. The other passer to see game action was walk-on Taylor Alie. His most visible role was directing Oregon’s extra-point unit. Alie scored twice on two-point conversions along with holding for a PAT unit that converted 79-of-83 attempts.
Redshirts: Scout-team duties were shared by true freshman Morgan Mahalak, who redshirted, and redshirt freshman Ty Griffin, who sat out the season under NCAA transfer rules. UO coach Mark Helfrich said the two did an “average to above average job” of bringing adequate focus to the job day in and day out, not an easy task when the carrot of playing time each Saturday does not exist. Mahalak is cut from the mold of other UO quarterback recruits in recent years, passers who are also capable of gaining yards on the ground when available. Griffin is fast enough to challenge any player on the team in a foot race, and his arm strength is equally impressive. His mechanics and command of the offense improved over the course of the season, though Mahalak probably retained an edge in those areas. With Griffin not eligible to travel to bowl games, Mahalak prepped the UO defense to face Jameis Winston of Florida State and Cardale Jones of Ohio State; as the bigger of the two UO redshirts and the one more comfortable in the pocket, he was a closer approximation of those players than Griffin anyway.
SPRING PROJECTION
QB: Jeff Lockie, Jr.; Taylor Alie, So.; Morgan Mahalak, RFr.; Ty Griffin, So.; Travis Waller, Fr.
Mariota is off to the NFL draft, signalling a new era of UO football. While recent history doesn’t support this line of thinking, the assumption here is that Lockie’s edge in experience puts him atop the depth chart to open spring practice in April. There are several caveats to this. Darron Thomas edged Nate Costa in 2010 and Mariota beat out Bryan Bennett in 2012, two cases of younger guys passing veterans; whatever the depth chart, it figures to be very fluid; and the recruiting cycle for 2015 isn’t done, meaning there may be more competition on hand between now and the start of the 2015 season. But when Lockie had the chance to string together multiple series in a row in September, he looked like a different player, which, again, carried over into practice. If he can regain that mojo, he has more than enough ability to operate an offense that will feature an impressive array of talent around the quarterback. Alie’s veteran status gives him an edge, too, but Mahalak and Griffin figure to be charging hard in April, and incoming freshman Travis Waller intends to enroll for spring term and participate as well. For very different reasons, all eyes will gravitate to Oregon’s quarterback position this spring, just as they did with Mariota on hand this past season.
