Austin Novosad: "For us, I mean, it's just competing."

Oregon is fortunate enough to return two quarterbacks this season that have spent at least one year in the system already. For Austin Novosad, he now enters his third year hoping to be the starter.

Dan Lanning has been very careful not naming a starter or even hinting at one so far. I think you could fairly say he will truly hold an open competition this Fall and we may not even know who is starting until the first offensive snap of the first game.

Novosad is clearly approaching this Fall camp in a way that would suggests he believes he can win the job. Here are his top quotes from media day on Monday in Eugene.

On Mental State:

“Yeah, I mean, I think the whole team’s coming off this break really excited, you know, today. Walk through, I think everyone was locked in and we’re excited to get going, you know, in a long fall camp. So keeping guys healthy and getting ready for the season.”

On Battling for Starting Job:

“For us, I mean, it’s just competing. Like, every day, you know, we’re always trying to help each other out, learn different things from each other because everyone kind of brings something different to the table, and then go out there, practice, and just compete.”

On being a Vet/Returner:

“I mean, being an older guy I think helping the younger guys and like just that leadership role to the young wide outs, young qb’s.”

On Progress:

“I think, you know, each year just that progression. I think I’ve been able to take steps each year in the right direction. And so, you know, I was happy with it, and then we’re just going to keep on going in the fall camp.”

On Battling to be the starter:

“I mean, like Coach Lanning said, just one day at a time, get that one percent better. That’s how we
kind of view it as a QB room. And then, like I said, Coach Stein pushes us each and every day within that room and, you know, on the offensive side to just get better each day and focus on one day at a time.”

On Learning from Bo/Dillon:

“Yeah, I mean, I always tell people just the preparation that both of them had, Bo and Dylan, I think the way that they prepared each and every game, you know, there was never a doubt going into a game that we were underprepared and so I think seeing that, you know, two years, they played at a high level and I think that’s kind of what helped them.”

On the Team’s Progress:

“We got a young, you know, a lot of young guys come in each year. And I think the biggest thing is kind of the jump from high school to, you know, the college level and the pace of the game. And so helping those guys out, like I said, through the summer and then even in spring ball, just kind of getting their feet wet, getting in with some older guys and kind of helping them out is the big process for us. I think confidence just comes from, you know, the spring and summer being with those guys.
And, you know, like I said, cleaning up the little details so that come fall camp, it’s plays that we’ve ran and, you know, we’ve been through it and trust each other.”

On the Manning Academy:

“I mean, that was one of the best experiences, just getting to learn from some of the best and then being around all the best quarterbacks in the country, sharing stories and meeting guys that you see on TV all the time but have never, you know, put a face to their name. And so, it was a great week coaching little kids and getting them better as well as yourself getting better from some of the best.

On Competing for another B1G Ship:

“Yeah, I think Coach Lanning does a good job of just, you know, our preparation each week stays the same. We don’t listen to the outside noise. We just worry about ourselves and prepare the same and kind of let everyone else play us how they want. But we’re just going to be the same team each and every week. And I think he does a good job of that.”