Dan Lanning provides context on Oregon Ducks' QB2 position with Austin Novosad, Luke Moga

There are a handful of games each year, if you're lucky, where the result is cemented early enough that the backups get into the contest and can show what they're able to do. Fortunately, for the Oregon Ducks, this becomes an expected occurrence a few times throughout the season.

On Saturday night in a 56-10 blowout over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, we got one of those games. Midway through the third quarter, starting QB Dante Moore got to take an early exit and watch the final frame from the bench as he relaxed following a four-touchdown performance.

It wasn't an unexpected result against a mediocre team like Rutgers, but what was unexpected is who replaced Moore under center.

Instead of Austin Novosad, the projected QB2, or Luke Moga, the projected QB3, it was QB4 Brock Thomas who got in the game and played the final 17 snaps on offense. Thoms played well, completing three of four passes for 45 yards, and also rushing for 15 yards, but it wasn't his performance that was the storyline. Rather, fans wanted to know why neither Novosad or Moga — both of whom made the trip to New Jersey, and neither of whom were listed on the injury report — didn't get into the game to pick up some valuable experience.

Head coach Dan Lanning was asked this on Monday night during his weekly press conference, and had this to say:

“Over time, (Brock) has done a really good job in practice,” Lanning said. “He’s operated well. Those guys have also done a really good job as well. But there's not anything necessarily that Brock hasn't done to earn those reps. He's earned them in practice. We talk about ‘rent’s due’ in football every single week, and he's been a guy that's been paying rent and doing what he's supposed to do.”

As a former walk-on player from Sheldon High School, Thomas did not have the hype surrounding him at the beginning of his career. However, Lanning notes that his work ethic has helped him along the way, and he's done enough to establish himself as one of the guys that this offense can lean on.

For Lanning, it doesn't matter what stars you had or didn't have in high school, but rather what you do in practice every day to help the team.

“We don't care your status, stars, that part doesn't matter," Lanning said. "You earn reps throughout what you do in practice. And we've had a lot of guys have done that. Brock's done a really good job. Luke and Austin done a really good job. We feel like those guys can go win games for us as well. And who knows, that role might change in the future, right? But right now, you know, Brock has earned those opportunities in practice.”

Novosad appeared in the first game of the season, completing one of two passes for 40 yards against Montana State. While he was held out of the next few games with an upper-body injury, it was Moga who got the backup duties behind Moore, completing three of five passes for 50 yards in three games so far this season.

Both Novosad and Moga have already utilized their redshirt seasons with Oregon, so neither has the opportunity to maintain this year of eligiblity, no matter how few games they play, unless it is later deemed that they missed time for a medical reason and they are granted a medical redshirt.

As Lanning said, this is a fluid situation, and the QB2 role could change at any time. For now, though, it appears that Thomas is the guy who has earned that spot.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning talks Austin Novosad, Luke Moga, and Oregon Ducks QB2 spot