Cristobal says that Anthony Brown has had good moments and bad moments, but he still gives the Ducks the best chance to win.
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) October 7, 2021
Despite what a seemingly large and loud portion of the Oregon fan base thinks should happen, Mario Cristobal announced on Thursday that the team would be sticking with sixth-year senior Anthony Brown and the quarterback position going forward.
Following his subpar performance against the Stanford Cardinal last week in Oregon’s first loss of the season — Brown threw for just 186 yards and 1 INT, with just 53% of passes completed — many fans have expressed their desire to see Brown removed from the starting spot, with true-freshman Ty Thompson taking over. We even wrote earlier in the week that Oregon’s coaching staff needed to ask themselves the tough question and figure out if Brown was the right guy going forward.
Whether they truly entertained the idea or not, it’s clear that Cristobal and his staff believe that they are in better hands with No. 13, rather than No. 17.
That may not appease much of the fanbase, but at this point, we have to trust the guys who have seen the players play on a daily basis. Brown may have an average season going thus far, completing just 55% of passes for 7 touchdowns on the season, but we know what we can expect from him week in and week out.
For Thompson, anyone outside of the coaches and players are lying if they say they know what they’re going to get from him. We’ve seen him play just a handful of snaps so far this year, where he’s completed 6-fo-12 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Those stats look decent, but they came in second-half action against Stony Brook and Arizona. Can you feel confident that he will out-produce Brown as the starter going forward? What evidence do you have to base that claim on?
Like it or not, Brown is the guy that this coaching staff feels comfortable with in leading Oregon throughout the rest of the season. There is still a good chance that they can three-peat as Pac-12 champions and make it to the Rose Bowl, and an off chance that they get into the College Football Playoff. We have to trust that they have made the right decision.
Should Brown continue to struggle, we can revisit this conversation down the road, but if you believe in Mario Cristobal as a head coach, it’s time to show some faith.
[listicle id=9611]