| 24 January 2012
Darron Thomas was a very productive and successful quarterback at Oregon, but he wasn't much of a threat in the zone read, particularly late in the 2010 season and for most of 2011.
Bryan Bennett rides the mesh longer and shows more confidence and elusiveness running the football. He'll take off out of the pocket when he sees a running lane, and he's displayed some nifty moves in the open field, extending drives with his legs.
The Ducks haven't had that dimension since Masoli or Dixon. Thomas operated the offense efficiently and typically made good decisons (albeit with occasional head-slapping, beer-sloshing lapses) but opponents openly challenged him to run rather than having to commit resources to contain him.
Both Bennett and Mariota look quicker in the open and have that extra weapon, speed on the keep and the scramble, which may compensate for their relative lack of experience. They'll challenge defenses in a different way, creating more openings, creases, lanes and seams for their explosive running backs and receivers, stretching and stressing the defense in as many ways as possible.
Of course, the crucial thing in all this is keeping a mobile quarterback healthy. In limited duty last year Bennett proved durable and elusive, able to protect his body, avoid big hits while getting the most out of runs.
Both young quarterbacks should study film of Dennis Dixon, who was a master at 1) using his speed and athletic ability 2) creating deception in the zone read mesh, fooling entire defenses, entire stadiums, and all four ESPN cameramen all at once on several memorable plays and 3) getting the most out of a scramble or a keep while getting down or out of bounds at the end.
Yet even Dixon eventually took one agonizing hit that crushed a dream season. That's always the flip side, the danger with a mobile quarterback. Masoli was built like a Humvee, but even he missed a game. Two of the biggest dangers are a hit at the knee while planted, and the horse collar-type tackle that bends the legs back in an unnatural position with undue stress. In the pocket, you worry about ankle and hand injuries. To play football effectively, though, neither a quarterback or a coach has to give much thought to any of these. They're all part of the game, next man up in a collision sport.
The Ducks are fortunate to have two talented, mobile quarterbacks that are an excellent fit for their system. You hope both stay at the conclusion of their competition. And you hope two are enough. Jeff Lockie and Jake Rodrigues have talent, considerable talent, but nobody wants a true freshman running the offense for a conference and national title contender.
From Mike Wines of Oregon Duck Soup and Youtube channel madmike1951, here are Bryan Bennett's 2011 video highlights. He displays quick feet, confidence and poise for a young quarterback. He has some elusiveness and open-field running ability, and he does two things that are particularly smart: he finds the tight end over the middle, and dumps the ball off to De' Anthony Thomas. Whoever wins the job, these two options have to be a big part of the game plan.
Bennett showed plenty of promise in the six appearances of his redshirt freshman season, and some moxie, an old-fashioned word that's just right for describing a whole set of intangibles an inexperienced starter for a veteran team has to have. Keeping in mind he played chiefly against the weakest part of the schedule, he had a run of ten yards or more in every game he played, including dashes of 36 and 43 yards, averaging 8.7 yards a carry to Thomas' 3.7. He also threw six touchdowns and no interceptions, but he needs to improve his accuracy, completing just 54.3% of his passes in an offense with a lot of high percentage throws. He's highly likely to improve after another full season of off season work and increased reps with the first team offense.
For Bennett or Mariota, the first job is beating out the other. That should take them a long way toward being ready for the PAC-12. A true champion embraces competition, and thrives in it. This competition, ideally, will establish a clear leader and make both of them better quarterbacks. It will add incredible interest to the 220 days until the Ducks face Arkansas State in their opening game
