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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Wyden's support is vital ... Guest Opinion: City of Ashland space needs ... Haines & Friends Fund grants help local artists ... Wyden's support is vital ... Guest Opinion: City of Ashland space needs ... Haines & Friends Fund grants help local artists ... COLLEGE FOOTBALL Lockie handling situation well Backup QB: 'In life, some things don't go your way' Comment By Ryan Thorburn The Eugene Register-Guard DailyTidings.com By Ryan Thorburn The Eugene Register-Guard Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 8:30 PM By Ryan Thorburn The Eugene Register-Guard Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 8:30 PM » Social News EUGENE — If Vernon Adams handles the offense as well as Jeff Lockie has dealt with losing the quarterback competition, Oregon should be in good hands this season. After Monday's practice, Lockie talked about getting beat out by Adams for the starting job. "Everyone wants to be the guy, but I think we all know in life some things don't go your way," Lockie said. "I think the only response is to have your head up and keep going. I think there's a lot bigger things going on here than myself." The seventh-ranked Ducks open the season against Eastern Washington, Adams' former team, at 5 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Lockie served as Marcus Mariota's backup the past two seasons — completing 29 of 41 passes with one touchdown and one interception in mop-up duty. The fourth-year junior separated himself from the younger quarterbacks in the program during spring practice before Adams' late arrival. The head start wasn't enough to hold off the late challenge from Adams, who joined the team on Aug. 14 and was named the starter by coach Mark Helfrich last Friday. "Jeff’s done an unbelievable job, and I think he’s more than capable of carrying our football team to wherever we want to go," offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. "It was a tough decision. We feel like we have two guys that can play, but the coaches all decided this was the way to go." Lockie said he has received a lot of support from family and friends since the decision was made. He also met at length with Helfrich and Frost. "I've known coach Helf ever since he recruited me when I was in high school. We kind of have a long relationship," Lockie said. "We kind of talked about things, and it's good knowing he has my back." Now Lockie will support Adams — who passed for 10,438 yards, 110 touchdowns and led Eastern Washington to three Big Sky titles — as the one-and-done graduate transfer attempts to lead the Ducks into the post-Mariota era. "He can absolutely play," Lockie said. "Everyone at this level can play. When you play at this high a level every single quarterback that we have can go out and win games for us. I think I'm excited to kind of get out there and just start playing football again." Taylor Alie, the holder and signal-caller on 2-point conversion attempts, also competed in the quarterback battle with redshirt freshman Morgan Mahalak and true freshman Travis Jonsen. "I’ve been impressed with both guys, really impressed with Taylor Alie, too," Frost said of the former Sheldon High standout. "I think all three guys are prepped and ready to run our team. It just came down to, it was time to pick a guy to put on the depth chart." Ty Griffin moved to cornerback once Adams joined the fray and is listed as Chris Seisay's backup. Wide receiver Charles Nelson, who practiced with the secondary in the spring, isn't surprised about Griffin making a strong first impression on defense. "I feel like quarterbacks can play anywhere on the field just because they have to know a lot more than everybody else," Griffin said. "They have to be able to read coverages and plays and when to call stuff on the line and in the box. For him that's an easy transition with his athleticism." Lockie shook off his disappointment and graciously answered questions about returning to his familiar role as Oregon's No. 2 quarterback. Adams and other newcomers who play on Saturday will be made available to the media after the game. "You just kind of switch gears, switch the mentality and you're back to preparing for Saturday and making sure that we're the most prepared we can (be)," Lockie said. "If that means helping Vernon out with the game plan, if that means helping the receivers out, whatever it means. It's just the next step forward, you kind of switch your mindset and keep going." By Ryan Thorburn The Eugene Register-Guard DailyTidings.com By Ryan Thorburn The Eugene Register-Guard Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 8:30 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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