Breaking down how each Oregon Ducks’ quarterback can improve this summer

Over the past several months, we’ve talked at length about the quarterback competition that has been taking place in Eugene between Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and Jay Butterfield.

At long last over the past weekend, we got to see these quarterbacks in live-action during the Oregon spring game.

There were some mixed results.

Each QB got a fair share of reps, with Nix taking 15, while Thompson got 27 and Butterfield got 26. No player blew the competition away, but there were a number of TD throws as well as a handful of interceptions.

Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham liked what he saw, but knows there is a ton of room for improvement.

“We got to get better. I think we put the ball in jeopardy too many times,” Dillingham said. “I think we had two throws that caused interceptions and we had four to five misreads that we put the ball in jeopardy when we didn’t have to because we didn’t account for that player with our eyes. Anytime you don’t account for a player with your eyes, you’re putting the ball in jeopardy because you don’t know who’s back there.”

Despite the mistakes, Dillingham left the spring game with a positive mindset about where the position currently is, and where it can get to by the time September rolls around. As they enter another stretch of the offseason, Oregon’s QB room is in a good position, according to the OC.

“I love where we are. I think we got a really really deep quarterback room. I think we got a ton of talent in that room,” Dillingham said. “And I think they’ve gotten better. And we all talk about the growth they’ve made just from how they think about the game, the growth they’ve made in pass protections. It’s a completely different way to attack and I think they’ve gotten a lot better and I’m really pleased with where they are.”

Where can each player focus over the coming months to get even better, though? Dillingham touched on that a bit as well.

QB Bo Nix

“Bo, we’re trying to not make a bad play worse, right?”

Spring Game Stats: 8-for-15, 230 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

This is a common criticism of Nix. We heard it a lot during his time at Auburn that when things break down, he tends to try and make the hero play rather than take the loss and get rid of the ball. Whether that is throwing the ball away when everyone is covered or not trying to make a bad throw when pressure is closing in on him.

We even saw it this weekend in the spring game. The one interception that Nix threw was on a play where both WRs were covered, but he threw the pass anyway, hoping for a miracle. It was underthrown, and the free safety in the middle of the field was able to make an easy INT.

If Nix can avoid those mistakes, he can be a great QB for the Ducks.

QB Ty Thompson

“Ty, we’re trying to bring his eyes with his feet more.”

Spring Game Stats: 12-for-27, 168 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

The thing that Thompson needs to work the most on is his accuracy and his touch. We know that he has all the arm strength in the world, but sometimes his feet aren’t lined up with where he is targeting the ball. This causes errant passes and turnovers.

We saw it take place on Saturday at the spring game. On the first play of the second half, Thompson went through his progression and found the open receiver — TE Spencer Webb running a dig route over the middle. When delivering the pass, his feet are pointed up the hash-marks to the inside, when they need to be more outside to lead Webb to the numbers. As a result, the pass was thrown behind Webb and picked off, which led to a defensive touchdown.

If Thompson can improve his accuracy, his ceiling as a QB is incredibly high.

QB Jay Butterfield

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“Jay, all we’re trying to do is get his drops down a little bit quicker swing get the ball a little faster.”

Spring Game Stats: 16-for-26, 213 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

When it comes to arm strength and accuracy, Butterfield has just about all of the tools that both Nix and Thompson have. However, he is less mobile and unable to scramble as well as the other two, which may end up hurting him in Kenny Dillingham’s offense. There is an emphasis for Butterfield to work on this with his footwork so his is able to maneuver in the pocket a bit more.

One play during the spring game where I noticed that a quicker drop and release for Butterfield would have helped is on his interception in the first half to Jahlil Florence.

It wasn’t a terrible pass or a bad decision, but it was late, which led to the turnover. You can notice when watching that Butterfield hitches a bit in his delivery, causing the ball to be a bit behind the receiver, sailing a little bit and forcing Isaah Crocker to adjust in mid-air to try and snag it. This led to a fight for the ball, and the DB came up with it.

Analysis

“I think they all have an individual goal to grow off of. And I think they can take that into the summer and they can try to improve and try to grow.”

The QB room in Eugene is certainly not a finished product, nor should it be. Spring ball is the time to make these mistakes and learn from them. At the moment, though, it’s hard to argue against the idea that Bo Nix holds a sizeable lead in the competition for the starting spot. He has the intangibles, and is able to consistently make the right reads and throws to keep the offense moving. As we said above, if he can limit the mistakes, Oregon’s offense can be really good under him.

Both Thompson and Butterfield feel pretty close in the race for the No. 2 spot, with Ty maybe holding a slight lead. He has maybe the highest ceiling of any player in the QB room, but needs to add some experience and get some reps under his belt.

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