Mariota Glows Over Bennett in Spring Game

Bryan Bennett is the expected starter for the upcoming season without watching any of the other quarterbacks. A mystery man came into the picture and completely wiped that thought away in today’s Oregon spring game.

Marcus Mariota dazzled in a 24-minute showcase, collecting 300 yards of offense and three touchdowns. He blew away Bennett, his opposition on the other side, who made a few interceptions and gave away a fumble early to give him all the potential.

Mariota threw for 202 yards in the air, completing 18 of 26 passes, completing a touchdown, and making one mistake late in the second quarter. Perhaps it was overconfidence being a lazy pass. On the ground, he had 99 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by an 83-yard dash to the endzone.

Nearly all the throws were on target. He seemed to gel with the no-huddle offense, looking very comfortable. The line also did a fantastic job in blocking for him as he didn’t really feel much pressure all game. It’s also a question to how hard they were actually playing in a scrimmage, but Bennett felt some pressure and he didn’t really seem to find a rhythm.

It was spectacular to see, and it will definitely add fuel to a huge quarterback discussion as the spring practices are closed off to the public. Is this what we can expect from Mariota, or is this one of those glorified one-time events in a scrimmage that we are taking too seriously?

Follow Brian Spaen on Twitter @Spaeniard and what’s happening in Autzen Zoo @Autzen_Zoo. You can also like us on Facebook at Autzen Zoo.

Take a look at some of his other work, including the lacrosse blog Around the Crease and opinionated blogThe World of Santa Destroy.