Akili Smith Jr. is no longer just the extra name in Oregon’s quarterback room.
Dan Lanning made it clear Wednesday morning that the sophomore is “absolutely” part of the conversation to start against Nebraska, giving the Ducks a fourth quarterback candidate worth watching as the week moves on.
Dante Moore’s return from a concussion would make the decision easier. If that doesn’t happen, Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas, both of whom played against UCLA, have looked like the most likely options. But Lanning said Smith deserves real consideration, and the Ducks coach pointed to the things Smith brings that the others don’t.
“Akili has done a really good job. He's probably the one that's the most different from a package standpoint and the things that you can carry and do differently with Akili,” Lanning said.
“Really strong arm, able to connect vertically on shots. Obviously, his feet become a weapon and are a real tool for us as well.
But yeah, he's done a really good job.”
Smith, the son of former Oregon star quarterback Akili Smith, has been the team’s fourth quarterback this season. His only game action came last month in the second half of the Portland State blowout, when he completed 2-of-4 passes for 31 yards.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound second-year player came to Oregon as a four-star prospect out of San Diego, and quarterbacks coach Koa Ka'ai said in the spring that Smith may have the best physical tools on the roster. Ka'ai said in mid-August that Smith had taken a major step over the summer and had improved “exponentially” during fall camp.
“I can't speak enough about how much KJ has grown from the spring to now. A lot of that is just playing within the confines of the system,” Ka'ai said in mid-August.
“We do a lot here schematically, and we give these guys a bunch of tools and things they can get to, but it's easy for a young kid to kind of get overwhelmed by that and go out there and everything is moving a million miles an hour. I think KJ has done a good job this fall of settling down, what does this play ask of me, and going out there and operating.”
Lanning, though, still isn’t showing his hand. He said Monday night that quarterback is one of several spots in competition, and that if Moore can’t go, the Ducks are still sorting through the options.
“We've really got a competition in a lot of positions. Obviously, at the quarterback position, if Dante's not able to go,” Lanning said on Monday evening.
“Really, there's competition every single week because I always say football is like renting a house, it's not owning a house - you have to pay rent every week. We didn't do well enough in some areas.
We have to really do hard evaluations and say, 'OK, how can we make sure that we're much better'?”
As for how Oregon will decide, Lanning said the staff will lean on practice performance and consistency.
“Operating what we're doing and making sure that we can do it at a high level. I think evaluating efficiency through practice, so you can take the practice results and let them carry right over to game results, and be able to build off of that,” Lanning said.
“What's it look like in practice? Where has it been the most consistent?
Grading that with a fine-tooth comb and then making sure you have as many guys prepared as possible to be able to evaluate that.”
Who gets the nod Saturday against Nebraska is still up in the air. At this point, Oregon doesn’t seem eager to make it any clearer.
In Other News...
Oregon Faces A Bigger Question Than Nebraska In This Big Ten Test
After close losses to ranked opponents, Oregon and Nebraska arrive in Eugene looking for the kind of Big Ten win that can steady a season and sharpen a rsum. The Ducks are expecting quarterback Dante Moore back from a concussion, and that matters as much as anything on the schedule, because Oregon has spent the past stretch trying to figure out how much its offense can lean on him in a game with conference consequences.
Nebraska brings its own intrigue after Anthony Colandrea has thrown 13 touchdown passes this season, and the trip adds another layer to the night. It will be the Cornhuskers third straight West Coast appearance and their first night game out there, which means Oregon is dealing with more than just a matchup of teams coming off losses. The bigger question may be whether the Ducks can use this moment to settle their quarterback situation and reassert themselves before the Big Ten grind gets any tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Suddenly Has A Safety Decision That Could Test Its Season
Aaron Flowers season is over after the Oregon safety underwent surgery, leaving the Ducks with an unexpected hole in the back end of their defense at a point in the season when stability matters. Head coach Dan Lanning had already left the door open to uncertainty around Flowers status before the announcement, and now Oregon has to sort through a position group that suddenly looks thinner than it did a week ago.
The next move is likely to come from inside the building, with veteran Peyton Woodyard in the mix along with younger options Trey McNutt and Jett Washington. For a team that leans on its defense to stay on track, the decision at safety is about more than one lineup card. It could shape how Oregon handles the coming stretch, and how quickly the Ducks trust unproven depth in a role that asks for communication, range, and poise. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Sends Clear Message After Oregon's Offensive Letdown
After Oregons loss to UCLA, Dan Lanning made it clear the Ducks are not planning to let the offensive issues linger. The head coach pointed to turnovers and a lack of productive snaps as major reasons the unit never found a rhythm, and he suggested the answer will start with a different kind of distribution going forward.
Jamari Johnson is expected to be part of that adjustment, with Lanning signaling the star tight end should see more targets as Oregon looks to create steadier options in the passing game. Dakorien Moore is also in line for a bigger role, and the message from the head coach was straightforward: the Ducks need to get their playmakers more involved if they want the offense to look like itself again. [Read more 🡒]