Oregon Ducks College Football Pregame Quote, 10/21/2025

Q: What’s allowed Brock Thomas to be the second quarterback in these games?

DL: “Over time he’s just done a really good job in practice. He’s operated well. [Austin Novosad and Luke Moga] have done a really good job as well, but there’s not necessarily anything that Brock hasn’t done to earn those reps. He’s earned them in practice. We talk about rent is due in football every single week, and he’s been a guy who’s been paying rent and doing what he’s supposed to do.

Q: This Wisconsin defense did a really nice job containing the offense last year. What makes their defense so effective?

DL: “It’s probably one of the best defenses when it comes to disguise. What it looks like pre-snap is different than what it looks like post-snap. They do a great job of stopping the run, right? They game-plan your runs really well. I think that’s a big piece of it. They make sure to get the extra hat where necessary and they do a good job of avoiding explosive plays. It’s really sounds. They’re difficult. They pitch different looks at you. There’s different guys who can pressure, unconventional pressures at times, which makes it a real challenge. 

Q: Just following up on the backup quarterback position. Are both Luke Moga and Austin Novosad available? 

DL: “But just like I just said, rent is due every single day. These guys earn it in practice. We don’t care about your status, the stars, that part doesn’t matter. You earn reps through what you do in practice. We’ve had a lot of guys who’ve done that. Brock has done a really good job. Luke and Austin have done a really good job. We feel like those guys can go win for us as well, and who knows, that role might change in the future, right? But right now, Brock has earned those opportunities in practice.” 

Q: What did you see from the O-Line in the leadup to the game, and what did you like from their performance?

DL: “I thought the communication was at a different level. I thought they did a really good job of recognizing what we anticipated the looks being and being able to handle those looks, and even when the looks changed, being able to go through that. I thought the coaches did a really good job of preparing those guys as well. More than anything, I think they showed their physicality up front. 

Q: Noah Whittington got over 10 touches for the first time since the opener. How are you feeling about where he’s at?

DL: “I’ve got such a high level of trust in Noah. He’s an unbelievable teammate. He works extremely hard. It’s not going to show up in the stat sheet, but the thing that I was really proud of is the way he carried the ball. The ball security was super impressive throughout the game. Even on that long run, you see the ball tucked up really tight to his chest. I think that’s a huge point, something we tried to coach really hard and Noah is a guy who has accepted that. It was multiple plays. Every play you saw him make in the game, it’s like ‘OK, I’ve seen that happen on the practice field’. There was a lot of that from him. When he’s healthy, he’s really dynamic and a great teammate and great player for us. 

Q: Wisconsin prides itself on stopping the run. What can you do offensively to generate more explosive plays on the ground against them?

DL: “That’s it. You’ve got to gameplan it, right? That’s the process we’re going through right now as a staff, trying to figure out where can we create those. Sometimes four yard runs can be just as impactful. You’re not always going to have explosive runs against a team like this. We’ve got to find out if we can find some of those, manipulate some of those opportunities, but take what the defense gives you as well. If they’re heavy to the run, that may give you more opportunities to throw the ball as well.

Q: You go from a day where Dante Moore was sacked six times, to one where I don’t think he was pressured once. What impressed you most about that operation?

DL: “It just means everything is working in sync, and I don’t think we were in the game before, and this game we were. Like I said, I thought we had a really clear plan, it was a good plan. I thought our players executed that plan to a really high level and Dante I thought made good decisions. There were times where he threw it away in the game and I think those were good decisions to be able to throw it away and get to the next play. We didn’t really do that the week before. 

Q: There were a few drives where Alex Harkey played right guard and Gernoriss Wilson right tackle. What went into that?

DL: “We continue to look in strength in numbers. I think we had 67 guys play in this last game and I want to say we traveled just over 70 to the game. As many guys as we can, we want to be able to see them in different spots and different locations because injuries can happen in the season, much like Wisconsin has faced this season, and we want to make sure guys are ready for opportunities when injuries happen to look at guys at different positions. 

Q: Will Jahlil Florence be redshirting this season?

DL: “I think he’s already played in four, has he not? 

Q: He hasn’t.

DL: No? Maybe. 

Q: What’s the challenge when you’re trying to scout a team that has started multiple QBs and it’s not clear who will be starting this weekend?

DL: “You’ve got to prepare for all of them, and they’re all a little bit different. There’s a little bit more of a run-game with 18. It’s a little different offense with each, but they do have an identity with what they try to do regardless of who is in there, so we’ve just got to be aware of which guy is on the field and what it looks like. 

Q: We saw Gage Hurych attempt a field goal. Is that a change from Atticus Sappington? Or are you rotating guys still?

DL: “We just felt it was a good opportunity to get a young guy a chance at one, and one that we anticipate him being able to make. Obviously it didn’t go in, but that’s good experience for guys. Similar to punt return. We had Dakorien back there. Gary had been consistently our punt returner, but again, strength in numbers, how many guys can we develop in moments like that.

Q: You got Kenyon Sadiq more involved this week than the past week. Will that be the plan going forward?

DL: “His involvement probably had a little more to do with his availability in practice the week before. There wasn’t as much availability for him [heading into Indiana], but he was available last week and practicing and that allowed us to be able to attack them. Again, it’s also predicated in what the defense is doing, right? There were opportunities there. 

Q: Na’eem Offord led the team in corner snaps on Saturday. How important can reps like that in a conference game be?

DL: “Na’eem is a great example of a guy who is been developing over time and getting better and better, where he might not have been completely ready at the moment the season started, he’s gotten better and better. He had a great week of practice. It goes back to everything I’ve said this entire time of when you perform in practice, you get opportunities in the game, and he performed well in practice this past week. 

Q: Jayden Limar did not travel this week. Do you have an update on him?

DL: “Yeah, he’s out. He’s going to be out for a little bit, but I don’t anticipate it being a really long time.

Q: What were your initial thoughts when you were told about the Grateful Dead jerseys. How familiar were you with their music and what they meant to this school?

DL: “I’ll tell you that the jerseys don’t look like they initially looked. We changed that. Just imagine it at a different level, and it’s been toned back a little bit. It’s exciting to have that opportunity. When you start to dig into the history of the Grateful Dead playing over 20 shows here, their involvement with the university, how it created revenue, obviously an innovative, think-outside-the-box group, and what they were able to do here in the Eugene community is pretty cool. I’m going to have to spend some time to listen to them. I haven’t done a good job of that yet. Maybe I can turn that on during my late drive home tonight.

Q: How do you go about defining what success looks like when facing a team that has struggled like this recently and will be playing their third or fourth string QB possibly?

DL: “Success is defined by our standards. It’s not as much about the opponent. It’s about our expectation for our level of play, regardless of who goes out there. In a game like this you might have to have multiple answers and multiple rules when you play a game where you don’t know exactly what you’ll see. 

Q: Do you own any tie dye clothing?

DL: “I think I’ve got one tie dye shirt.

Q: Do you ever wear it?

DL: No, not often