THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2024
OREGON vs. IOWA EDITION
‘EASY MONEY’
OPENERS
Oregon’s focus over its second bye week? Opening drives, which have slowed the No. 6 Ducks’ roll down the stretch.
O P P O N E N T P R E V I E W P G . 4 • S TA R T I N G S L OW P G . 8 • B R O C K T H OM A S S E C U R E S B AC KU P Q UA R TE R B AC K S P O T P G . 1 4
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(On The Cover) Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) is lifted into the air by an offensive lineman, celebrating after scoring a touchdown. The University of Oregon Ducks opened their football season with a win against the Montana State Bobcats at Autzen Stadium on Aug. 30 in Eugene, Ore.
(Right) Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Vinny Anthony II (8) sizes up Oregon Ducks defensive back Daylen Austin (0) as the Badgers start their play. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers 21-7 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Oct. 25, 2025. (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
OREGON AT IOWA: OPPONENT PREVIEW The Ducks head to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes in a must-win matchup. BY HARRY LEADER Sports Writer
This week, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) head to Iowa City to face off against a formidable Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) team that ranked No. 20 in Tuesday’s CFB poll. With both teams coming off a bye week, this matchup could really come down to the defense. Quarterback Mark Gronowski and the Hawkeyes look to stay in the race for the Big Ten championship in a pivotal home matchup against an Oregon that hasn’t lost on the road since the Rose Bowl last season. Both Oregon and Iowa are top-five defenses this season, with the Hawkeyes ranking No. 2 and the Ducks No. 4 in the nation in total defense. The Hawkeyes are coming off a massive 41-3 win over Minnesota in Week 9. They held the Golden Gophers to 133 total yards and intercepted three passes. Iowa is also very disciplined on both sides of the ball and is ranked No. 1 in the nation in fewest penalties with 19. Oregon is also a top team in fewest penalties, ranking No. 13 in the nation with 38. The Hawkeyes are tied for second in the nation in fourthdown defense, allowing only three fourth-down conversions in 14 attempts. Defensive lineman Max Llewellyn has been a major contributor for the defense, tied for fourth in the conference in tackles for loss with nine and tied for sixth in sacks with six.
“I think he’s a hard worker, great team player and (I) just like the way he hustles,” Iowa Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker said about Llewellyn to Hawkeye Sports in a press conference on Oct. 28. “Just (his) effort is unbelievable, what (he’s) been doing.” On the other side of the ball, Iowa has weapons in Gronowski and running back Kamari Moulton, but it’s had to rely heavily on its defense. The Hawkeyes’ offense took a hit this season, losing to the NFL draft two offensive linemen in Mason Richman and Connor Colby, as well as running back Kaleb Johnson. Although not a top-tier offense, Iowa has still managed to blow out teams and battle tough defenses week after week. It is not a pass-heavy team, only managing 1,061 passing yards in eight games and mainly scoring on quarterback runs. Gronowski leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 11 on 313 net rushing yards. His passing hasn’t been the same since he left South Dakota State with only four touchdowns and four interceptions in his first season with the Hawkeyes. Iowa offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Lester commented on Gronowski at a recent press conference on Oct. 28 via Hawkeye Sports. “There’s some things that are really coming along and there’s some things that we’ve got to continue to work on,” Lester said. Gronowski currently ranks last among starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten in passing yards, even behind Penn
State quarterback Drew Allar, who went out with a season-ending injury in Week 7. Gronowski also ranks last in QB rating in the Big Ten with a score of 116.2. Moulton has been a top rusher in the Big Ten, ranking No. 15 in rushing yards in the conference and tied for first in fewest fumbles with none. Moulton was sidelined early this season with a shoulder injury he sustained in the first quarter against University at Albany, which kept him limited for the first few weeks. Since returning from his injury in Week 4, he has led Iowa in rushing yards with 435 and two touchdowns. The room has a tough matchup against a Ducks team that ranks No. 30 in the country in rushing defense and hasn’t allowed over 125 rushing yards since Week 5 against Penn State. Oregon’s matchup with the Hawkeyes, which will be featured on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff show, is set for a 12:30 p.m. PST kickoff on Saturday, with the broadcast on CBS.
(BELOW) The Oregon defensive line prepare for the Nittany Lions tush-push. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn State University Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. on Sept. 27, 2025. (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
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AROUND THE BIG TEN: WEEK 10 Three conference games were decided by less than a touchdown, but three more were never in doubt.
BY JACK LAZARUS Sports Editor
Jamaree Caldwell Defensive Tackle - Los Angeles Chargers
A first half defensive battle favored Minnesota (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten), which took a 10-0 lead into the locker room. Michigan State (3-6, 0-6 Big Ten) came storming out of the break, scoring a 71-yard touchdown on a pass from Alessio Milivojevic to Rodney Bullard Jr. on the third play of the half. This was the start of a 17-point period for the Spartans to force overtime. MSU got a field goal on the first possession of overtime, but the defense could not hold up. A quarterback draw on thirdand-goal by Drake Lindsey got to the end zone to win the game for the Golden Gophers.
After a quiet week at home against Minnesota, Caldwell picked up a tackle in a win over the Titans, but that’s not his biggest impact. One of the rookie’s most impactful qualities is his ability to hold offensive lineman at the line and prevent them from blocking downfield. The Titans tallied just 88 total rushing yards against the Chargers, which was due to Caldwell and his unit providing the perfect opportunities for linebackers to make crucial stops. Caldwell is quickly becoming a fan favorite in L.A. and his contributions continue to earn him more playing time each week.
Purdue battles, but falls short to No. 21 Michigan, 21-16 Not much has gone right on the field as of late for the Boilermakers (2-7, 0-6 Big Ten). Many expected Michigan (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) to dominate this game, but Purdue gave it a test. The Wolverines never led by more than a touchdown and the Boilermakers answered each time Michigan scored. The difference in the game was Michigan’s defense holding Purdue to a field goal in the third quarter, and the Boilermakers’ defense failing to stop the Wolverines from getting a first down in the final minutes to run out the clock.
Penn State’s downfall continues in 38-14 beatdown by No. 1 Ohio State Nothing has gone right for the Nittany Lions (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) since Oregon’s double overtime win in Happy Valley. They’ve already seen their coach fired and their quarterback suffer a season-ending injury. This week’s nightmare was one their fans are more used to as their losing streak to Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) extended to nine games. Penn State put up a fight in the second quarter, but the Buckeyes scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to remain the “big brothers” in this rivalry.
Around the Big Ten: Scoreboard Illinois (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) earned bowl eligibility with a 3513 win at home over Rutgers (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) in a game with 235 passing yards and four touchdowns for Luke Altmyer. No. 2 Indiana (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) remained unstoppable in a 55-10 slaughtering of Maryland (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) following 35 unanswered points in the second half.
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With many pro Ducks on bye week, it’s time to give the big men some attention.
Minnesota hangs on to become bowl eligible with 23-20 overtime win over Michigan State
Nebraska (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) had the better hand in the first half, holding USC (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) out of the end zone until late in the third quarter. That 16-yard touchdown run by Jayden Maiava was exactly the spark the ranked Trojans needed to turn the game around. They took the lead on a six-yard rushing score from King Miller and the Cornhuskers never saw the end zone again.
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BIG MEN EDITION
Saturday brought a variety of down-to-the-wire nail biters and blowouts that were decided before the fourth quarter.
No. 23 USC comes from behind to take down Nebraska 21-17 on the road
G A ME D AY
PRO DUCKS: With many of Oregon’s flashiest NFL skill players idle during their bye week, it’s time to shift the spotlight to the big men. Bucky Irving and Dillon Gabriel sat out, Penei Sewell went down with an injury, and both Bo Nix and Justin Herbert fell short of their usual standards.
BY MAX KOEBEL Sports Writer
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Derrick Harmon Defensive Tackle - Pittsburgh Steelers Caldwell’s partner in the interior last year for the Ducks, Harmon, has had an impressive rookie season as well, despite him missing time early on. In an emphatic 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Harmon contributed to his first turnover in his career with a fumble recovery. Just after quarterback Daniel Jones dropped back, he fell under pressure and the ball was knocked loose. Harmon immediately jumped on the ball and gave the Steelers an excellent scoring opportunity, which they would use to convert a field goal. Harmon continues to play a major role in an excellent defensive unit that caused six turnovers on Sunday.
Jackson Powers-Johnson Offensive Guard/Center Las Vegas Raiders Although the Raiders are currently undergoing tough times as a squad, it is not due to any deficiencies from Powers-Johnson. Having played at both guard spots and center so far this season, JPJ quickly became an indispensable part of Las Vegas’ offense. Powers-Johnson has impressed enough that he is being looked at by teams in need of interior offensive linemen at November’s trade deadline. His ability to pass block should see improvement as he grows as a player, but he has already become one of the best run blockers in the league at his positions.
Jeffrey Bassa Linebacker - Kansas City Chiefs While not technically a “big man,” Bassa’s time on the field has started to increase as the season has gone along. Whether due to him impressing in practice or unfortunate injury luck for Kansas City, Bassa is starting to become a more consistent face on the field. Most recently, Bassa added two tackles in the Chiefs’ loss in
Buffalo, which came just a week after his four tackle (two solo, two assisted) performance helped Kansas City dominate the Washington Commanders. After not playing for the first month of the season, Bassa is playing his way into a more consistent role for the Chiefs. Carving out a spot on such a talented team can often be incredibly difficult for any rookie, but Bassa’s work ethic and versatility on the field has the potential to push him to starting roles in the future, as he displayed at Oregon. (BELOW) Oregon Ducks linebacker Jeffery Bassa runs off the field as the Michigan Wolverines prepare to punt the ball. The No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks defeated the Michigan Wolverines 38-17 at the iconic “Big House” in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 2, 2024. (Jonathan Suni/Emerald)
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Lanning addressed Oregon’s slow starts in the bye week. BY HENRY LIGHT Sports Writer
Opening with a bang is a must for any team, and a telltale sign of a team that will be successful. Would it be surprising then, given the recent performances, to see that Oregon has failed to convert on its last four opening drives? The Ducks are in the midst of a four-game opening-drive scoring drought that has turned one of the keys to their early dominance into a cause for concern. Early in the season, Oregon rode explosive run plays to start-to-finish dominance, but it has managed just 32 yards combined in its last four games, less than single-drive totals against Montana State University, Oklahoma State University and Oregon State. Coming off an opening drive against Wisconsin that ended in a loss of two yards, Dan Lanning made the Ducks’ slow starts a point of emphasis in bye-week practices. “(We are) just not taking easy money at times. That’s part of the reason we did openers today – we want to be able to start off better on our opening drives. It was a good opportunity to attack, but just small things here and there,” Lanning said in an Oct. 29 press conference. With Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein looking to extract more from their opening drives in Oregon’s four remaining games, it is worth reviewing what worked for the Ducks early in the season and what has gone wrong in the last four games.
MONTANA STATE: SIX PLAYS, 74 YARDS, 3:03 – TOUCHDOWN Oregon established the dominant run game and blocking that led to a 59-13 win over Montana State from the first play of the game. In its first in-game rep, the rebuilt offensive line moved the Bobcats’ entire defensive line to the left, giving Noah Whittington space around the right side to gain 35 yards. From there, Stein could do no wrong with the talent advantage Oregon had, and the Ducks moved the ball at will for four plays until Jayden Limar finished the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run aided by an Alex Harkey pancake and a key downfield block by Dakorien Moore.
OKLAHOMA STATE: TWO PLAYS, 65 YARDS, 0:40 – TOUCHDOWN Stein’s job was made even easier on the opening drive against Oklahoma State. After Gary Bryant Jr. motioned from the left side of the line to the right, several Cowboys defenders fell for Dante Moore’s fake handoff, which allowed him to roll out to the left and find tight end Jamari Johnson for an easy gain of six yards. Whatever Stein had in mind for the rest of the drive was rendered useless when Whittington ran straight through the middle of Oklahoma State’s defense for a 59-yard touchdown.
NORTHWESTERN: SEVEN PLAYS, 26 YARDS, 3:38 – PUNT Oregon once again pushed the ball downfield early in its opening drive against Northwestern, including seven-yard and five-yard runs by Limar and Jordon Davison, but after an 11-yard pass to Dakorien Moore the drive stalled out. Dante Moore threw an incomplete pass, Limar ran for one yard and a pass to Davison in the backfield only got back
to the line of scrimmage. Northwestern solved the Oregon offensive line that had dominated up to that point, and the Ducks were forced to punt away their first possession for the first time in 2025.
OREGON STATE: SEVEN PLAYS, 75 YARDS, 2:50 – TOUCHDOWN On Oregon’s first two plays against Oregon State, the offense looked to create explosive plays with deceptive formations. On both plays, Limar, Bryant Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq lined up to Dante Moore’s left before shifting to the right pre-snap. The first opened up a 22-yard run for Limar back to the left side and the second succeeded in getting Dakorien Moore open 25 yards downfield, but Dante Moore overthrew him. This may have been Stein’s best drive so far in terms of working to his script. He moved away from the pre-snap motion for a quick 13-yard pass over the middle to Bryant Jr., then brought it back with Limar getting open for
a check down and the Beavers’ attention on him opened up an 11-yard pass to Sadiq. Limar gained seven yards on a fake pitch play before Dante Moore ended the drive by simply throwing a jump ball to Dakorien Moore and letting him fight five yards across the goal line.
PENN STATE: SIX PLAYS, 16 YARDS, 4:08 – PUNT Lanning came into the Penn State game planning to be aggressive with his decision-making, and it nearly extended the Ducks’ least productive opening drive of the season to that point when Davison converted a fourth down, but instead, a false start brought out the punt team. Stein was clearly giving Penn State’s pass rushers no time to get to Dante Moore on this drive, with the only passes being a quick one to Whittington, who had motioned out to line up as a receiver, and a roll-out pass to Sadiq. The Nittany Lions’ front seven still came through to end the drive by stopping two straight run plays to set up the fourth down.
NG SLOW THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
INDIANA: SEVEN PLAYS, 21 YARDS, 3:51 – TURNOVER ON DOWNS
RUTGERS: THREE PLAYS, SEVEN YARDS, 1:25 – FUMBLE
Oregon faced a setback on the first play of its opening drive against Indiana, when offensive linemen Alex Harkey and Iapani Laloulu each got pushed back by pass rushers while Dante Moore looked for a deep pass that was not developing, resulting in a seven-yard sack. For all of the criticism that Stein drew for misusing screen passes after the game, it was a wide receiver screen on third-and-11 that allowed Bryant Jr. to gain 13 yards and extend the drive. On second-and-five, Whittington seemingly had a chance at the first down after catching a short pass, but instead of advancing three yards up the middle of the field, he attempted to evade two tacklers and secure a bigger gain on the outside, and he was stopped two yards short. After a direct snap to running back Jay Harris fell one yard short of the marker, the Ducks’ fourth-and-one attempt was blown up by linebacker Isaiah Jones, who broke through the offensive line unblocked and hit Davison three yards short of the conversion.
After Whittington gained three yards on Oregon’s first play against Rutgers, two moments of poor execution ended it. A second handoff to Whittington resulted in a loss of four yards when Harkey and Dave Luli allowed two pass rushers to break through the right side of the offensive line untouched. Bryant Jr. had a chance to make up the lost yards and more on a successful screen pass, but he failed to secure the ball while attempting to spin past a defender and Rutgers recovered the fumble.
WISCONSIN: FOUR PLAYS, NEGATIVE TWO YARDS, 1:18 – TURNOVER ON DOWNS Whittington’s five-yard run on the first play against Wisconsin was the only successful play of Oregon’s drive. After the small success, Wisconsin’s pass rush forced an incompletion on a rushed pass to Kenyon Sadiq, slowed
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down Laloulu attempting to get to the second level, resulting in an easy two-yard stop, and put Dante Moore under immediate pressure on a fourth-down passing attempt, eventually coming up with a sack. The most consistent issue in Oregon’s unproductive drives has been losses of significant yardage that have left the Ducks working to recover. One of the reasons for the steady decline in productivity throughout the season is Oregon’s blocking going from flat-out dominant to costly against better competition. While the drive against Penn State was ultimately unsuccessful, the mentality of getting the ball out quickly may be an effective model for opening drives against better teams, at least in terms of avoiding the negative plays. Whatever changes Oregon made in practice and in film study during the bye week will debut in Iowa City on Nov. 8.
(BELOW) Oregon Ducks long snapper Luke Basso (43) looks at Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Jayden Ballard (4) as he sprints away with the ball. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers 21-7 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Oct. 25, 2025. (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
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WHAT’S THE WORD? Oregon fans around Eugene react to the Ducks’ season thus far.
BY JOE KRASNOWSKI Sports Writer
Whether it be the season that a newer coach finally puts it all together, the time to beat a bitter rival, or, for some like Oregon, the moment to win a national championship, every fan base has some delusion and mystery mixed into their season. The worst thing a fan base can be is checked out, after all. Oregon fans are a long way from that point, with head coach Dan Lanning’s group an impressive 7-1 (4-1 in Big Ten play). Everything the Ducks can hope to accomplish is straight ahead of them. “It’s certainly an exciting time,” Eugene resident Samuel Allen said ahead of Oregon’s matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Nov. 8. “The Ducks are in it, right? That’s all you can hope for.” The excitement and surprise that came with last year’s surge to an undefeated regular season and a No. 1 ranking heading into the College Football Playoff seems to be a little more muted among some Duck fans. Many agreed that they have become used to Oregon being “really good” rather quickly, with Mike Reichert adding that the Ducks “have been in and out of being elite since the 2010s (and that) I guess this is just a longer version of that, with more money involved.” Unsurprisingly, the fans were all extraordinarily pleased with the job head coach Dan Lanning – 42-7 lifetime at Oregon – has done. They were happy tooo with the job quarterback Dante Moore has done during his time inv Eugene, with most adding that the team’s long-term success hinges on the signal-caller electing to come back to school next season. “He’s been really good,” Sarah Whitcomb said. “Obviously Indiana happened, but everyone kind of sucked that game… he’s been as good as Bo (Nix) and I think better than last year’s quarterback.” Sean Lubbock, a self-described “tapped in” fan, showed concern about the offense’s firepower both now and when offensive coordinator Will Stein likely leaves in the future to take a head coaching job. “I mean, it’s been pretty mediocre for the most part offensively,” Lubbock said. “It feels like we used to be able to take the top off of defenses a little better last year, like in the first Ohio State game. Still, Stein is the guy, and it’ll be hard to replace him next year and still be hoping to win automatically.” Few fans said they expect the Ducks to win a national championship this season, with most citing the Indiana loss or “history” as their reason for being cautious with their optimism. Nearly everyone interviewed, however, said that they are ecstatic with the program’s progress and expect a national championship within the next five or so years. There are, ultimately, far worse positions for a fourthyear head coach to be than ranked No. 6 in the nation with a top-five recruiting class coming in next season. “Gosh, you see with Penn State, they fired their head coach and paid him all that money to leave… feels like Oregon is nowhere near that,” Mary Mayers said. Oregon is indeed far from that position, but time will tell if this is the year that so many fans hope it to be. “We love our Ducks,” Allen said. “Whether it be this year or next, they’ve got to get it done for us.” Of course, these are only some of the opinions in the Ducks’ stratosphere, but Oregon heads into the pivotal part of the regular season with ample community optimism surrounding the team.
(LEFT) Fans of the Oregon Ducks dance and sing along to the Ducks third-quarter tradition, “Shout.” The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the University of WisconsinMadison Badgers 21-7 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Oct. 25, 2025. (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
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DEFENSIVE LINE IN REVIEW BY RACHEL MCCONAGHIE Sports Writer
The Oregon Ducks are putting together a solid season in terms of limiting the opponent’s rushing attack. As of now, Oregon ranks fourth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 4.05 yards per carry across, 473 rush attempts and 1,915 rushing yards against. Bryce Boettcher ranks eleventh nationally in assisted tackles, with 41 on the season and 64 total tackles overall. Teitum Tuioti has recorded 18 solo tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss, tying him with three other players for the team lead. Oregon also ranks fourth in the NCAA’s total defense poll, showcasing one of the most complete defensive efforts in recent program history. “Obviously the offense depend on defense, defense depended on the offense,” Tuioti said after Oregon’s 21-7 win over Wisconsin on Oct. 25. “I think defensively all we can do is just get the ball back to our offense and I think we did a great job for the most part doing that.” Prior to the season, Tosh Lupoi, Oregon’s defensive coordinator, noted that “our red zone efficiency is what we’re trying to attack,” but that area remains a weakness for the Ducks. So far this year, Oregon has the worst red zone defense in the nation, giving up points 100% of the time when opponents reach inside the 20-yard line. This season, the Ducks’ defense is among the best in recent Oregon history – most notably in the secondary, where the Ducks rank No. 1 in the nation in passing defense. Overall, Oregon stands fourth in total defense, sixth in scoring defense and 30th in rushing defense. “We’ve gotten guys in some tight moments where we’ve
been really close to being off the field,” Head Coach Dan Lanning said ahead of bye week. “You know, we’ve held guys to field goals at times, but more importantly we got to make sure that we can go capitalize and make people not score when they get down there.” Still, the most significant improvements need to come inside the red zone. Against the Ducks, opponents have made it and scored in the red zone 13 times this season. “That’s an area we want to improve on,” Lanning said during the bye week. “And again, the benefit is we haven’t let a lot of people get down there, but when they get down there, I think we can be a lot better.” In pass coverage, 10 Big Ten players are tied with five passes defended, which is when a defender makes contact with a pass and causes it to be incomplete – among them are A’Mauri Washington and Ify Obidegwu, both key members of Oregon’s defense. The ability to stop the run sets the tone for everything else. When the Ducks apply pressure and force opponents into quick passing situations, it is a key to their secondary that ranks No. 1 nationally. Oregon’s next test comes after the bye week against Iowa, a team built around a physical rushing attack. The Hawkeyes average 185.3 rushing yards per game and for the Ducks, success will depend on the defensive line’s ability to win early downs and limit plays from Iowa’s ground game.
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I think defensively all we can do is just get the ball back to our offense and I think we did a great job for the most part doing that.
“
Oregon football’s defensive line struggles with the run game.
Teitum Tuioti Oregon Linebacker
(BELOW) Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Devonte Ross (5) is tackled by Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher (28). The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn State University Nittany Lions 30-24 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. on Sept. 27, 2025. (Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
EUGENE NATIVE BROCK THOMAS SECURES BACKUP QUARTERBACK SPOT After a solid performance against Wisconsin, Eugene-born Brock Thomas takes over the backup quarterback spot. BY ROWAN SHEA Sports Writer
“It was pretty special. It was really cool to be out there with all the guys. You know, they put their trust in me… It was a lot of fun,” backup quarterback Brock Thomas said in his postgame after taking over for Dante Moore against Wisconsin. Thomas has not been a name thrown around the Ducks’ program much recently, but the backup quarterback and Eugene native showed why he is being used over other Oregon backups like Austin Novosad and Luke Moga. With no official starting quarterback during the preseason, fans were left to speculate about who would fill that spot. The main front runners were Novosad and Moore, with Thomas and Moga on the back burner. Moore took the starting role and the backups were left to prove themselves week in and week out. “He was a guy that was down there chopping this up on the scout team and earning his stripes, and he’s
worked really hard, and, you know, nobody’s earned that more than Brock,” head coach Dan Lanning said. Thomas has proven himself in practice; “(He) just shows up in practice every day. And we got a lot of quarterbacks that are playing a really high level, but he’s been very consistent,” Lanning said. Thomas has shown it out on the field when he has gotten the chance to perform in-game, leading head coach Dan Lanning to make the effortless decision to turn to Thomas either late in games where the Ducks are ahead, or when Moore takes an injury, like he did in the Wisconsin game. Thomas against Wisconsin handled himself well, despite the conditions. He ended his night going having four completions on four attempts, had 46 yards and while that number seems low, the Ducks were focused on running the football all night. Moore had only 86 yards in almost the same amount of gameplay that Thomas had. He had a 24-yard completion, his second longest of the season, and threw a touchdown to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson. “For Brock to come in and perform the way he did, really excited for him to be able to do that,” Lanning said. Lanning hammered home the team aspect of the Ducks when asked about the rest of the backup quarterbacks. “And (the fans) should also know that those other quarterbacks are doing a really good job in practice too,” Lanning said. “But Brock’s playing well guys.”
The Ducks have the luxury of multiple solid backup quarterbacks, and it just happens to be Thomas’ time to get the second spot. Moore showed love for Thomas after the game, sneaking into the press room during Thomas’ post game in his street clothes. “I love you Brock, you did your thing today baby,” Moore said. Moore isn’t the only player to be singing the praises of Thomas. The whole team wants to see their teammate do well and the Ducks are enjoying watching Thomas get his chance. “(The fans) should go to our locker room and see them carry Brock Thomas up in the locker room after the game,” Lanning said. Thomas’ old Sheldon High School teammate Teitum Tuioti is also among the group. “He’s always been a dog,” Tuioti said in the weekly press conference after the Rutgers game. “He comes with the right mindset everyday, in practice… he gets his opportunity after all his hard work and I think it pays off for him.” Thomas’ role for the remainder of the season won’t be ticketed for growth. Being the backup to a Heisman Trophy hopeful in Moore is going to be where he stays for the time being. That, though, is what the Ducks want. Thomas can take control of the offense and he makes minimal mistakes on the field – the biggest he had against Wisconsin was a pass that slipped through the defensive back’s hands thanks to the rain, and Dakorien Moore was able to reel it in for a completion. Thomas also had a botched snap that he had to chase down and pounce on. “Outside of that, Brock’s performed really well,” Lanning said. Thomas is a solid backup quarterback. The Ducks are bowl-eligible, and while Thomas likely won’t be getting a start to finish out the season, given what he was able to do against Wisconsin, he could see more playing time against Iowa, Minnesota and Washington.
(ABOVE) Oregon backup quarterback Brock Thomas takes a snap in the rain during the Ducks’ 21-7 win over Wisconsin on Oct. 25, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. (Tarek Anthony/Emerald)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
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