2011 — Was one of 16 finalists for the 2011 Davey O’Brien Award … Ranks No. 11 nationally in passing efficiency rating (158.66) … Ranks first all-time at UO in touchdown passes (66), seventh in passing yards (5,910) and sixth in total offense (6,633) … Third player in Pac-12 history (USC’s Matt Leinart 2003-04, Stanford’s Andrew Luck 2010-11) with two seasons of 30 or more touchdown passes … 17 of 23 for 268 yards with three touchdown’s and one interception in win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl … Was 20 of 36 for 219 yards with three touchdown’s and one interception in Pac-12 Championship Game win vs. UCLA … Also had a season-high 60 yards rushing on five attempts with a score vs. the Bruins … Season-high 305 yards passing (27 of 40) with four TDs in win vs. Oregon State … 23 of 35 for 265 yards and a touchdown in loss vs. USC … 155 passing yards (11 of 17) and three TDs in win at Stanford … 13 of 25 for 169 yards and one score in win at Washington … Played the first half vs. Washington State, passing for 153 yards (8 of 13) with a touchdown and two interceptions after being sidelined at Colorado … Was 13 of 17 for 187 yards, two touchdowns and one interception before leaving with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter of UO’s win vs. Arizona State … Completed 13 of 25 pass attempts for 198 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in win vs. Cal … Was 5 of 6 with all three scores after halftime against the Golden Bears … Accounted for four TDs (2 pass, 2 rush) in win at Arizona, completing 11 of 20 passes for 101 yards and rushing 10 times for 52 yards … Went 11 of 15 for 206 yards and three scores in win vs. Missouri State … Honorable mention Davey O’Brien quarterback of the week after tying the school record with six touchdown passes vs. Nevada, while amassing 295 passing yards on just 19 attempts (13 completions) … Set career marks with 31 completions and 54 attempts (240 yards, TD, INT) in loss vs. LSU … Clocked a time of 4.15 seconds in the shuttle to tie for the lead among quarterbacks and kickers during winter conditioning … hit 15 of 21 passes for 129 yards in a 16-0 win for the Green Team in the spring game.
2010 — Co-recipient of the Skeie’s Award as the team’s most outstanding player … Second-team all-Pac-10 as chosen by the conference coaches, Phil Steele, Scout.com and Rivals.com … Second among conference quarterbacks and 17th nationally in passing efficiency (150.70) … Second in the Pac-10 and tied for 11th nationally with 30 touchdowns - the second-most in team history … Second in the conference and 13th in the NCAA in points responsible for at 16.46 per game … Was on the watch list for the Manning Award and one of 15 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award … 2,881 passing yards ranks fifth and 3,349 yards of total offense ranks second in a single season at UO … Set individual single-game highs of 363 yards, 27 completions and 40 attempts in BCS Championship Game vs. Auburn … Tossed a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions vs. the Tigers as well as an 81-yard completion to Jeff Maehl which set the mark as the longest in BCS Championship Game history … Had nearly identical lines over the final two regular season games, completing 14 of 24 attempts against both Arizona and Oregon State … Passed for 148 yards and three scores (1 INT) in win vs. the Wildcats, and 145 yards and a pair of TDs against the Beavers … Also rushed six times for 62 yards vs. Arizona … Went 15 of 29 and held to 155 passing yards in win at Cal, but threw a touchdown pass for the tenth straight game … Rushed for 34 yards on 16 carries vs. the Golden Bears, highlighted by a 7-yard scamper on 3rd and 6 with 4:26 on the clock during UO’s game-ending drive … Tossed a career-high 24 completions in 33 attempts for 243 yards and a touchdown; carried 12 times for 89 yards and two TDs in win vs. Washington … Matched his career mark with four touchdown passes in win at USC, completing 19 of 32 attempts for 288 yards … Totaled 330 yards against the Trojans, thanks to 42 rushing yards on eight carries … Completed 22 of 31 attempts for a career-high 308 yards to go with three touchdowns in win vs. UCLA … Also rushed five times for 48 yards against the Bruins … Completed 9 of 13 passes for 171 yards, including a career-long 84-yard touchdown pass in win at Washington State … Piloted the victory over then-No. 9 Stanford, completing 20 passes (29 attempts) for 238 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a career-best 117 rushing yards and another score … Earned weekly honorable mention from both the Davey O’Brien and Manning quarterback awards for his efforts vs. the Cardinal … Had a breakout passing performance in Tempe, throwing for 260 yards and completing 19 of 33 attempts … Also tossed a pair of touchdowns and ran for another at ASU, netting 50 rushing yards on eight carries … Made the most of his first career start on the road, completing 17 of 32 passes for 202 yards and 2 TDs in 48-13 win at Tennessee … Tossed a career single-game high four touchdowns the following week against Portland State (all in the first half) while completing nine of 18 passes for 140 yards … Also added 50 yards rushing vs. the Vikings, including a career-long 35-yard scamper … Successful in his debut as the starter, leading Oregon to a 72-0 win over New Mexico … Completed 13 of 23 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in less than one half of the season opener … Remained at the helm to engineer a 42-0 advantage with 8:51 remaining in the second quarter … Led all quarterbacks during winter workouts with a 31.5 vertical jump, and shared top honors among players at his position with a 275-lb. clean.
2009 — Successfully redshirted his second season, preserving three years of eligibility … Was on the travel squad and in uniform for all 13 contests … Member of Oregon Iron Club, totaling 1,026 pounds in the power clean, squat and bench press during winter testing … Fastest quarterback in the 20-yard dash, clocking an electric 2.85 … One of three players to earn the Oregon Elite distinction by the strength & conditioning staff for overall performance in the weight room and in speed and agility drills.
2008 — Pulled out of a potential redshirt year in the second half of the fourth game of the season and came close to overcoming a 24-point fourth-quarter deficit, completing 13 of 25 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns in the final 15 minutes of a 37-32 setback against Boise State … His three TDs and 210 yards against the Broncos were the most ever by a UO freshman quarterback in a debut and he became the first Oregon signal-caller in 11 seasons to throw a touchdown in his inaugural appearance … Connected on three of eight pass attempts for 58 yards in his final four outings, including a 35-yard option pass in the win at Oregon State … Rushed six times for 24 yards and a touchdown at Washington State … Graduated early from high school and enrolled at Oregon as a 17-year-old student during the winter quarter.
BEFORE OREGON — Claimed four-star accolades from Rivals.com as the sixth-best player at his position in the country, as well as included on the Scout.com Texas Top 100 ledger (32nd) as one of the state’s top prospects … The PrepStar All-American and dual-threat athlete completed 148 of 249 passes (59.8%) for 2,576 yards and 11 touchdowns his senior year, in addition to rushing for more than 900 yards … Contributed 905 passing yards (77-141) and six TDs in 2006, while adding 499 yards and 10 scores on the ground.
PERSONAL — Born Darron Varnell Thomas in Houston. Parents: Latina Thomas and Darren Waters. Family: One sister. High School (Coach): Aldine (Bob Jones) 2007. Major: Pre-Business Administration. Redshirt: 2009.
HONORS AND AWARDS
2010
•Second-team all-Pac-10 (Pac-10 Coaches, Phil Steele, Rivals.com, Scout.com)
•Team’s Most Outstanding Player (Skeie’s Award)
CAREER STATISTICS
| RUSHING |
g |
att |
yards |
td |
long |
avg/c |
avg/g |
| 2008 |
5 |
13 |
27 |
1 |
12 |
2.1 |
5.4 |
| 2010 |
13 |
93 |
486 |
5 |
35 |
5.2 |
37.4 |
| 2011 |
13 |
56 |
206 |
3 |
40 |
3.7 |
15.8 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
162 |
719 |
9 |
40 |
4.4 |
23.2 |
| PASSING |
g |
cmp-att-int |
yards |
td |
long |
pct |
avg/p |
avg/g |
effic |
| 2008 |
5 |
16-33-1 |
268 |
3 |
41 |
48.5 |
8.1 |
53.6 |
140.6 |
| 2010 |
13 |
222-361-9 |
2881 |
30 |
84 |
61.5 |
8.0 |
221.6 |
151.0 |
| 2011 |
13 |
211-339-7 |
2761 |
33 |
69 |
62.2 |
8.1 |
212.4 |
158.7 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
449-733-17 |
5910 |
66 |
84 |
61.3 |
8.1 |
190.6 |
154.1 |
| TOTAL OFFENSE |
g |
rush |
pass |
total |
avg/g |
| 2008 |
5 |
27 |
268 |
295 |
59.0 |
| 2010 |
13 |
486 |
2881 |
3367 |
259.0 |
| 2011 |
13 |
206 |
2761 |
2967 |
228.2 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
719 |
5910 |
6629 |
213.8 |
| RECEIVING |
g |
rec |
yards |
td |
long |
rec/g |
avg/c |
avg/g |
| 2008 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| 2010 |
13 |
1 |
-4 |
0 |
0 |
0.1 |
-4.0 |
-0.3 |
| 2011 |
13 |
1 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
0.1 |
8.0 |
0.6 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
0.1 |
2.0 |
0.1 |
| SCORING |
g |
td |
rush |
rcv |
ret |
pat |
2pat |
fg |
total |
avg/g |
| 2008 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
1.2 |
| 2010 |
13 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
2.3 |
| 2011 |
13 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
1.4 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
54 |
1.7 |
| ALL PURPOSE |
g |
rush |
rcv |
pr |
kr |
ir |
total |
avg/g |
| 2008 |
5 |
27 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
27 |
5.4 |
| 2010 |
13 |
486 |
-4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
482 |
37.1 |
| 2011 |
13 |
206 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
214 |
16.5 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
719 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
723 |
23.3 |
| TACKLES |
g |
ua |
a |
total |
tfl |
pd |
ff |
fr |
blk |
| 2008 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2010 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2011 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| TOTAL |
31 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
