There's no doubting Thomas at Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - There's no doubting Darron Thomas at Oregon.

The sophomore was solid in his debut as the starter, replacing disgraced Duck Jeremiah Masoli, in Oregon's bold 72-0 season-opening victory over New Mexico. As a result of the win, Oregon moved up from No. 11 to No. 7 in the AP poll.

Thomas completed 13 of 23 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He even had a tackle.

"He did a nice job playing within himself," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said about the sophomore's start. "Most guys are so high that they throw the first ball out of the stadium."

Thomas was named Oregon's guy following the final scrimmage of fall camp. He competed against fifth-year senior Nate Costa, who many expected to win the job because of his maturity and leadership.

By all accounts Thomas, considered more of a scrambler in the Dennis Dixon mold, just edged Costa, who is more of a pocket passer. So all eyes were on Thomas in the opener to see if Kelly and his staff made the right call, and to see whether the Ducks lost a step without Masoli.

Costa provides excellent security for the Ducks, who run a spread-option offense that can sometimes be hard on quarterbacks -- Dixon's blown knee in 2007 being the prime example.

Costa entered the opener in the second quarter once Oregon had built a sizable lead. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 131 yards. A true statesman, Costa complimented Thomas after the game.

"He seemed nervous at first, but then he settled down and did a great job for us," Costa said.

About the only one who wasn't brimming with praise for Thomas was Thomas himself.

"It was all right," he said, "but I missed some things I shouldn't be missing."

He never ran the ball in the opener, something that Kelly said was not significant. The Ducks ran a limited number of option plays, and Thomas made the right reads in giving the ball away, he said.

His legs were not needed, anyway. Sophomore running back Kenjon Barner skillfully led Oregon's ground game, running for 147 yards and four touchdowns.

Barner, starting in place of suspended back LaMichael James, also caught a short pass from Thomas and ran it in 60 yards for the score. He was named the Pac-10's offensive player of the week for the effort.

"I knew the offense was going to push me through it. Seeing the line block and open things up and the receivers blocking downfield, I knew it was going to be a great day for the running backs," Thomas said.

But he'll face a much bigger test on Saturday when Oregon visits Tennessee.

The Volunteers won their opener 50-0 over Tennessee-Martin on Saturday. Tennessee's defense kept UT Martin out of the red zone and snagged two interceptions.

But Oregon is a more challenging opponent, not only because of Thomas but because the Ducks have returned their entire offensive line from last season. And they'll see the return of James, who was suspended for the opener after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge over the summer.

"I think because they're so experienced and talented around (Thomas), it really makes his job a lot easier. Probably a little easier than what the last guy had to do last year," said Tennessee coach Derek Dooley. "All those other guys around him have come into their own. They're confident, and all he's got to do is distribute the ball."

James grabbed national attention last season by rushing for a team-high 1,546 yards, setting a new record for freshmen in the Pac-10. He averaged 6.7 yards and added 14 TDs to earn the league's freshman of the year honors.

Oregon, the defending Pac-10 champion, had expected Masoli would start this season. But he too got into off-field trouble and was ultimately kicked off the team.

Masoli pleaded guilty to a burglary charge stemming from a theft at a campus fraternity house in January. Then he was pulled over by police for a traffic violation and marijuana was found in the car.

Masoli landed at Mississippi, which lost 49-48 in double overtime to Jacksonville State last Saturday.

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AP Sports Writer Beth Rucker in Knoxville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 09-07-10 1745EDT