Oregon's new QB Mariota faces his first test

EUGENE, Ore. – In his short tenure at Oregon – two years as offensive coordinator, and now beginning his fourth season as head coach – Chip Kelly has developed a reputation for a fast-paced, explosive offense. And also, for plugging and playing quarterbacks (eight have led Oregon to a 53-13 record).

Kelly says it's because the Ducks don't make a big deal of it. The philosophy, he says, is the same as at any other position: next guy in. Whatever the reason, it's Marcus Mariota's turn. Oregon's hopes of winning a fourth straight conference championship and contending for the BCS title ride in part on the shoulders of the redshirt freshman.

Tonight, when the No. 5-ranked Ducks face Arkansas State at Autzen Stadium – after a nearly perfect late summer day, expect temperatures to begin dropping into the 50s during the game – we'll get our first look at Mariota, who beat out sophomore Bryan Bennett during a competition that began last spring and ended last week.

Darron Thomas, the Ducks' starter in 2010 and 2011, entered the NFL Draft following his junior season, but went undrafted and has still has not been signed by a team.

Insiders whisper that Mariota has potential to become the best quarterback of Kelly's tenure; he's lanky and fast, a good passer with what appears to be a low-key demeanor. But until kickoff – and maybe beyond tonight, considering the opponent – there's no way to tell for sure.

Mariota's task is made a bit easier because of a talented supporting cast that includes running backs Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas and a defense that might be as good as the Ducks have had in a long while.

Meanwhile, for Arkansas State, Gus Malzahn makes his head-coaching debut. The former Auburn offensive coordinator surprised many by taking the job last December. The Red Wolves, who won 10 games last season under Hugh Freeze (now head coach at Ole Miss), bring back an experienced quarterback in Ryan Aplin.

Also uncertain: Whether Oregon's 82-game sellout streak at Autzen Stadium continues. Late in the week, about 2,000 tickets remained; capacity is 54,000.

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Marcus Mariota wins Oregon QB job

It turns out Marcus Mariota's strong spring game performance for Oregon was, in fact, indicative of where his quarterback competition stood with Bryan Bennett.

While Mariota made plays with his arm and legs and looked poised, Bennett struggled. At the time, it seemed unreasonable to extrapolate too much from one performance, considering every other Oregon practice has been closed. But the result -- Mariota was named the Ducks' starting quarterback on Friday, as first reported by The Oregonian -- is that Mariota eclipsed Bennett, despite Bennett having an edge in game experience.

Mariota will make his first appearance on Sept. 1 against Arkansas State in Autzen Stadium.

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AP Photo/Don RyanMarcus Mariota won Oregon's QB competition with an impressive spring game, completing 18 of 26 passes, and rushing for 99 yards.Is this an upset? Yes. A mild one. And not unlike coach Chip Kelly's decision to go with Darron Thomas over Nate Costa in 2010.

That one worked out OK. Thomas led the Ducks to the national title game and a Rose Bowl victory before opting to leave early for the NFL draft. No matter how bad Thomas' decision to leave early was -- and it was truly bad -- he's still perhaps the most accomplished quarterback in team history.

So, will Mariota, a 6-foot-4, 196-pound redshirt freshman from Honolulu with no game experience, match or even eclipse Thomas? Maybe. Folks have been raving about him since his first preseason camp. His "hello world" moment -- his only public performance as the Ducks' quarterback -- was the spring game, when he completed 18 of 26 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 99 yards and two scores, including an 82-yard scamper for a touchdown.

He's the quintessential quarterback for the Ducks' offense, a true dual threat with outstanding athletic ability and a quality arm.

It's reasonable to imagine Bennett, a redshirt sophomore, isn't thrilled. Who can blame him? The scuttlebutt on him has always been positive, at least until the spring game. In fact, more than a few Ducks fans previously wondered if he was going to legitimately challenge Thomas for the starting job -- and we're not only referring to if Thomas came back this fall.

Bennett played in eight games in 2011, going 25 of 46 for 369 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Bennett also carried the ball 23 times for 200 yards. He played well coming off the bench when Thomas was hurt against Arizona State, then won his only start at Colorado.

The good news for Mariota is he gets to ease into the starting job. The Ducks' first three games -- Arkansas State, Fresno State and Tennessee Tech -- function almost as a preseason, as the Ducks will be multiple touchdown favorites in each. He won't go on the road until Week 5 at Washington State.

And the Ducks will be heavy favorites until the visit to USC on Nov. 3, in a game with major Pac-12 and national title implications.

That game, when Mariota will be matched against Matt Barkley, will likely define Oregon's season, though there could be a rematch in the Pac-12 title game on Nov. 30.

Of course, there are no guarantees. If Mariota struggles early, it will be interesting to see if Bennett gets an opportunity to show what he can do. And will Kelly want to get Bennett quality playing time early in the season in any event? He didn't feel the need to do that with Costa after Thomas won the job, but every situation is different.

What Ducks fans are surely excited about is Mariota probably had to look pretty good to beat out Bennett, who showed every sign he could be a quality starter. That certainly bodes well, not only for this season, but the future.

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Redshirt freshman Mariota wins QB job for No. 5 Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota has won the job as starting quarterback for No. 5 Oregon.

By Don Ryan, AP

In this April 28, file photo, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota looks for a receiver during the first half of their intra-squad spring NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore. Oregon coach Chip Kelly announced Friday that redshirt freshman Mariota has earned the starting quarterback job over sophomore Bryan Bennett.

By Don Ryan, AP

In this April 28, file photo, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota looks for a receiver during the first half of their intra-squad spring NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore. Oregon coach Chip Kelly announced Friday that redshirt freshman Mariota has earned the starting quarterback job over sophomore Bryan Bennett.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly announced Friday that Mariota earned the position over sophomore Bryan Bennett, who was Darron Thomas' backup last season. Thomas left school early to declare his eligibility for the NFL draft.

Oregon went 12-2 last season and defeated Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks open this season at home against Arkansas State on Sept. 1.

Mariota is the first freshman to start in an opener for Oregon since Danny O'Neil in 1991.

Kelly, Mariota and Bennett were not available for comment until workouts on Saturday, the school said.

Bennett was the more experienced of the two, having completed 25 of 46 passes for 369 yards and six touchdowns last season as Thomas' backup. Bennett started in a victory over Colorado when Thomas was out with a sprained knee.

Mariota, a 6-foot-4 native of Hawaii, emerged as competition for Bennett during the annual spring game, when he completed 18 of 26 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 99 yards and two scores — including an 82-yard scoring run — to lead his team to a 41-14 victory.

The status of the competition in fall camp was difficult to decipher because Oregon closes practices. Kelly often said that last season had no bearing on the current competition.

Part of what made Mariota's emergence so intriguing was that the spring game was the first time that most fans got a close look at him. Last season he was part of the practice squad.

Bennett completed 19 of 32 passes for 209 yards and a TD in the spring game. ,

Oregon's decision Friday was met with enthusiasm by former Ducks running back LaMichael James, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers.

"He will possibly be the best qb to ever play at Oregon!," James posted to Twitter. "He's the real deal."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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