Which Quarterback Asserts Himself?

There is a huge wild card in the Oregon-Tennessee matchup. Which quarterback rises to the occasion in his first time on the big stage? Both are promising but relatively unknown quantities leading their teams in a big intersectional game.

Either one of them could choose this week to embrace their potential and have a big game on ESPN 2, catapult themselves toward a leading role in a dream season.

Either one of them could have the jitters or the drops, be overwhelmed by the rush, or have their passes sail high to their fans' frustration. Either one could miss reads and throw into coverage, make two or three costly mistakes that swing the game the other way. You don't know with inexperienced quarterbacks. You can't. There are too many unknowns.

In 2007 Darron Thomas was a sought-after recruit from Aldine, Texas. He looked impressive throwing out of the spread formation in high school, ran well and looked fast against high school competition. Several SEC schools wanted him and he made an early verbal commitment to LSU, backing out when they suggested he might enjoy a move to wide receiver.

He reopened his recruiting and signed with Oregon in February 2008, and the inevitable comparisions to Dennis Dixon began. He was slower than Dixon, but lanky, tall, and black, and fans couldn't help themselves, particularly when Thomas looked Dixonesque leading a comeback against Boise State as a true freshman, coming off the bench to throw for three touchdowns and 210 in the fourth quarter. He fell just short that day but his Oregon legend began. Fans had him pegged somewhere between Harvey Winn and Dan Fouts. Many wanted him to start right then. They went with some guy named Masoli instead. Another story.

Thomas bid his time and learned the job. In the rivalry game that year he came off the bench again, this time for one play. They surreptitiously warmed him up on the sideline and snuck him in on the near side at wide receiver, tossed him a pitch on the reverse. With a loose defender crashing down on him he set his feet and tossed a perfect arching rainbow to Jeff Maehl near the Beaver sideline, 37 yards for a first down. The kid had it all right. He had the thing you couldn't teach, the fire and the flair. Oregon fans nudged each other on the message boards and blogs, just wait till DT takes over in 2011. Darron Thomas=Dennis Dixon, some posters insisted. And Dixon had come within an agonizing knee injury of taking the Ducks to the promise land in '07, even scoring a 39-yard touchdown on one good knee.

The comparision was unfair and premature. Dixon was much faster. Dixon had a year to struggle and mature, playing in a handful of games as a sophomore after Kellen Clemens got hurt in '05, sharing the job the next year as a junior in a quarterback controversy with Brady Leaf, showing flashes of brilliance while throwing 14 picks. He sprinted 80 yards for a touchdown against Fresno State in 2007. He led an improbable comeback against Oklahoma as a junior, aided by the refs. Miscalled onside kick aside, Dixon rallied the Ducks for three fourth quarter touchdowns, scoring one himself. The Ducks blocked a field goal to preserve the win.

Thomas hasn't done anything like that. He hasn't won in a hostile environment. He hasn't had the experience of coming through with everything on his shoulders, leaning into the huddle on the sideline with two timeouts left and 3:11 to play, down by a touchdown. Thomas is cool and confident. He'll do those things. But he wasn't supposed to be counted on to do them for another year. Now he'll have to learn on the job.

On Saturday, he gets his first serious test.

On the other sideline Matt Simms has a dual legacy to live up to. He's taking the place of Peyton Manning and Erik Ainge, but he also has a family tradition to uphold. His father Phil was a Super Bowl MVP in 1987, throwing 22 of 25 for 268 on football's biggest stage, setting an NFL record. His brother won 81% of his games as a Texas quarterback and made it into the league after two Holiday Bowls and a Cotton.

Matt Simms threw for over 6000 yards as a New Jersey prep, then signed with Louisville to play in a pass-first, pro style offense. He lost a battle for the starting job and decided he wanted to play, transferring to El Camino College to polish his resume. Lane Kiffin signed him in December a week before the Chick-Fil-A bowl, and he won a quarterback competition in the spring. His first game stats were remarkably similar to Thomas', 14-24 for 181 yards, one touchdown. Simms started slow but found his rhythm in the third quarter. He didn't throw an interception, tossed a couple of nice long balls to Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones.

Tomorrow one of these guys could decide the game, and announce themselves loudly as arrived and ready to take charge. They are both an unknown quantity, with past accomplishments at lower levels, impressive pedigrees and an imposing legacy to live up to. Seeing which one emerges, or how each fails, is among the most interesting storylines in a compelling game.