Dan Lanning provides an initial evaluation of Oregon's quarterback play in spring game

Oregon hosted roughly 42,000 fans for its annual spring game, showcasing star quarterback transfer Bo Nix for the first time in a Ducks uniform. Head coach Dan Lanning had some positive and negative takeaways from his quarterback room’s collective performances in Saturday’s scrimmage in front of the Oregon faithful

“I love the explosiveness,” Lanning said about his quarterbacks. “Obviously, you get excited about that; came out from the jump and hit one really early. I thought they did do a good job of pushing the ball down the field, but you can’t put the ball in jeopardy.

“That’s one that I know every one of those quarterbacks wish they had back. You know, protecting the ball a little bit better is something you walk away with, for sure.”

Nix went 8-for-15 for 230 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to go with four carries for 29 yards. Fellow quarterback Jay Butterfield was the only passer to participate for both squads, combining for 16-26 for 213 yards and an interception. Ty Thompson rounded out the group going 12-for-27 through the air for 168 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

After Oregon’s spring game, Nix assessed his own performance in the showcase. He was generally please with how his offensive unit played. The Ducks battled through a slow stretch in the middle of the game, which was a very encouraging sign to Nix.

“I think the biggest thing is just, offensively, my side, we just wanted to execute, have some drives, have some explosive plays that finish with touchdowns and we did that,” Nix said. “We also there in the middle hit a little lull. I think playing through that was big. It’s important to know how to bounce back from that situation because in the season you’re going to have a lot of those where maybe the middle of the game’s not how you’d like. The defense can make adjustments too. So just continuing to play all four quarters.”

With the Ducks undergoing a regimen change on the field and in their coaching staff, Lanning coming in and promising to usher in a dominant defense for the Ducks means fans cannot not wait till the start of next season to get a glimpse of the future, but will have to wait until the first week of September to do so.