Occupying a very small corner within one of the wildest years in modern human history has been a college football offseason and now season that has appropriately reflected our current day and age. The twists and turns have been numerous and well documented over the past several months, as COVID-19 continues to hang like an anvil over the viability of a 2020 college football season. In addition to that, college football’s player empowerment movement and the multiple opt-outs from high profile players across the country (including a handful who were on the Oregon roster) has also contributed in shaking the foundation of a decades-old American institution.
The extent to which these factors will change the previously accepted landscape of college football is unknown. What is known, however, is that after previously postponing the 2020 football season, the Pac-12 has decided to change course and proceed with an abbreviated conference schedule, joining the vast majority of the FBS on the gridiron this fall.
With October 9 set as the official start date of fall camp for the Ducks, WFOD is here to help preview and bring you up to speed on the upcoming season by providing its position-by-position breakdown of the Oregon roster. Wednesday marks the kickoff of this series, as we start with an in-depth look at the quarterbacks.
As always, you can find the most up-to-date look at the Oregon depth chart by visiting our Living Depth Chart page.
The Headliner
For the first time in four years, the Ducks will be starting a new season by breaking in a new starter at quarterback following Justin Herbert’s illustrious career at Oregon. The player who has been long tabbed as Herbert’s heir apparent is redshirt sophomore Tyler Shough, who enters fall camp with a strong endorsement from Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal, who stated back in July that Shough is “without question” QB1 atop the team’s “organizational” chart.
Though the Ducks were only able to squeeze in four spring practices before COVID-19 brought everything to a halt back in March, Shough has evidently demonstrated enough during that time and over the past several months to be afforded that level of assurance from the Oregon head man. With that said, in the very limited sample size that fans and members of the media have been exposed to, there’s been lots to like about what Shough has put on film. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Shough is built like your prototypical quarterback, flashing impressive arm talent but more athleticism than meets the eye. While he may not be on Herbert’s level in terms of what he can do when flushed from the pocket, the former four-star recruit has shown an ability to extend plays and pick up yardage with his legs if need be. He’ll enter 2020 with only 15 pass attempts (80% completion percentage for 144 yards, three TDs, and zero INTs) in eight career appearances.
The Supporting Ensemble
It may be the first time in four seasons that the Ducks will be breaking in a new starter at quarterback, but it feels like the first time in forever that the Ducks have finally compiled some real depth behind their prospective starter.
Redshirt freshman Cale Millen enters his second season with the program with the hope of perhaps pushing for the backup job behind Shough after he was unable to practice for a large chunk of 2019 due to a shoulder injury. He will be joined in the competition by a pair of four-star true freshmen in Jay Butterfield and Robby Ashford, who each bring their own impressive skill-sets to the table. In Butterfield, the Ducks landed one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast during the 2020 recruiting cycle. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 212 pounds, Butterfield closely resembles the physical stature of players like Herbert and Shough, possessing comparable arm strength and talent, though is perhaps not the level of athlete of his two predecessors. Ashford, on the other hand, is the athletic outlier of this entire group at quarterback. Checking in at 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, the Hoover (Ala.) native arrives in Eugene cast in a familiar mold of previous dual-threat quarterbacks of Oregon past, with the reputation as a talented baseball prospect to boot. He may be the biggest wildcard at the position as fall camp unfolds, particularly with first year offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead looking to perhaps better leverage the quarterback position as a running threat.
The Intriguing New Cast Member
While everyone has Tyler Shough’s name etched in pencil atop the Ducks’ quarterback depth chart, Boston College grad transfer Anthony Brown is expected to be Shough’s primary competition once fall camp begins on October 9. At least that’s the stated goal and expectation from Cristobal as he navigates his first real quarterback competition as Oregon head coach.
A three-year starter with the Eagles, Brown completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 4,738 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions, leaving Boston College with an average passing efficiency rating of 130.95 for his career. That number would have ranked him 10th out of 11 eligible quarterbacks in the Pac-12 last season, though it’s worth noting that Brown was playing some of the best football of his career prior to suffering a knee injury (the second of his career) six games into the 2019 season. He finished the year completing 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,250 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passing efficiency rating of 154.52.
The presence of Brown on the roster certainly provides a level of insurance and experience the Ducks could use in the event Shough falters or is injured, but don’t discount his ability to be a more ideal fit for what Moorhead may look to implement on offense. At the very least, Brown’s mobility and battle-tested nature is a key addition to the quarterback room that could provide some fall camp fireworks should he be fully healthy coming off his surgically-repaired knee.
The Stirring Subplot
What does the offense look like under Joe Moorhead?
This isn’t a question that is limited to the quarterbacks per se but it is a question that will be largely answered by the ability and play of Oregon’s quarterbacks. Moorhead’s arrival at Oregon was widely celebrated by both Duck fans and college football pundits, as Moorhead has built a reputation as one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game, particularly as it relates to the run-pass option (RPO). His success, most notably as the head coach at Fordham and as offensive coordinator at Penn State, made him one of the more coveted offensive coordinators on the market after he was let go at Mississippi State after just two years as Bulldogs head coach.
How Moorhead parlays his past successes in his first season as Ducks offensive coordinator is perhaps the biggest question facing this team entering the season. Not only is Moorhead tasked with bringing along a new quarterback who will be working behind five new starters along the offensive line, but he’ll be doing so without the advantage of a full complement spring practices and the established routine of a typical offseason. Cristobal has stated that the installation of Moorhead’s offense has already occurred in online meetings with coaches and players, but its application in a practice, let alone game, is an entirely different beast. Fall camp should provide some insight as to how Moorhead’s philosophy is coalescing with the personnel on offense, but until we see it play out in real time against real competition, it remains largely a mystery.
Top Photo: Oregon QB Tyler Shough (247Sports)