After a stressful Week 1 win over Fresno State and a dominating, eyebrow-raising performance in Week 2 against the Buckeyes of Ohio State, the Oregon Ducks head into Week 3 with a 2-0 record and a chance to hopefully coast to victory over the Stony Brook Seawolves of the Colonial Athletic Conference.
While the game is not expected to be a particularly competitive one (although you never know) there is still plenty for Ducks fans to keep an eye on in this contest.
An early lead could allow coach Mario Cristobal and his staff to rest starters in the second half, which would give fans a chance to see who the future stars might be on this squad.
Anthony Brown’s backup is perhaps the most hotly contested topic heading into Saturday afternoon’s game, but how Oregon handles the losses of tight end Cam McCormick and linebacker Justin Flowe will be a key part of this game, and the ‘will he, won’t he’ saga of defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is, of course, a notable storyline as well.
Here is a quick look at each of those storylines heading into Week 3 of the college football season:
Oregon’s Backup Quarterback Competition
Anthony Brown laid to rest any lingering concerns about his role as Oregon’s full-time starting quarterback after a very strong performance against Ohio State last Saturday.
Now, coach Mario Cristobal is playing coy about who the Ducks backup quarterback is – a player who could be featured a fair amount on Saturday against Stony Brook if the team jumps out to an early lead.
The battle appears to be between Ty Thompson, Jay Butterfield, and Robby Ashford – with most believing the job belongs to Thompson.
Saturday’s game should not only give fans a definitive answer to this burning question, but said player will hopefully get to see a good chunk of playing time if this contest is out of reach in the first half.