With a fake and a sprint, the secret was out. Although sequestered by then-Oregon coach Chip Kelly’s policy of closing practices, buzz had begun to circulate regarding Marcus Mariota’s potential heading into his public debut in the Ducks’ 2012 spring game.
Wearing a red jersey signifying do-not-tackle-or-surrender-your-scholarship status, the redshirt freshman gave the record crowd of 44,129 at Autzen Stadium and the ESPN audience that tuned in for a spring scrimmage a glimpse of the explosiveness the Saint Louis graduate brought to Eugene.
Early in the second quarter, Mariota kept the ball on a read-option play and froze a linebacker with a flick of his right hand, the fake giving him the split second he needed to dart through the seam.
A safety appeared to heed the red jersey as Mariota broke into the secondary; even so the 82-yard dash to the end zone highlighted his ability to render pursuit angles meaningless and his command of Oregon’s high-tempo offense.
"That’s what they came to see," ESPN’s Chris Fowler said as Mariota crossed the goal line.
Mariota also showed off his arm strength and accuracy in throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown. He would go on to throw at least one touchdown pass in each of his 39 career games and ran away from the pack, much as he did in his first spring game, in the race for the Heisman Trophy this season.
Following is a look back at the three seasons that serve as prelude in Mariota’s pursuit of a national championship:
2012
FRESHMAN (12-1, 8-1 Pac 12)
Mariota’s college debut was the stuff of lore.
The first freshman quarterback to start a season opener for the school since 1991, Mariota led Oregon to touchdowns on the Ducks’ first seven possessions in a rout of Arkansas State. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns and called it a day midway through the second quarter with Oregon leading 50-3.
"That kid looked pretty good, didn’t he?" senior offensive lineman Carson York said after the 57-34 win. "He was drilling them tonight. … Marcus was having the time of his life out there tonight and jumping around."
Oregon scored at least 42 points in each of its first 10 games, with Mariota throwing for four scores in a 62-51 shootout win over USC as the Ducks rolled up 730 yards in total offense, breaking USC opponent records for points and yards. He followed by completing 27 of 34 passes and tossing a season-high six touchdowns in a win over California that elevated Oregon to No. 1 in the polls.
The Ducks’ stay atop the rankings was brief, as No. 14 Stanford managed to slow them down enough to pull out a 17-14 win in overtime. Mariota was sacked three times and intercepted once while passing for 207 yards and rushing for a team-high 89 yards.
Oregon rebounded with a Civil War victory over Oregon State in Corvallis and Mariota capped the season by earning offensive player of the game honors in a 35-17 win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, outdueling Heisman finalist Collin Klein.
Mariota ended the year with a school-record 38 total touchdowns (32 passing, five rushing, one receiving) and also set an Oregon record by completing 68.5 percent of his pass attempts. Mariota became the first freshman quarterback to earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors since USC’s Todd Marinovich in 1989.
2013
SOPHOMORE (11-2, 7-2 Pac 12)
The Ducks underwent a leadership change when Kelly jumped to the Philadelphia Eagles. But Mark Helfrich’s ascension from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to head coach eased the transition.
The Ducks maintained their breakneck pace on offense and averaged nearly 56 points per game in an 8-0 start. Mariota threw for a career-high 456 yards in a 59-14 win over Tennessee and accounted for a school-record seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) in a 57-16 win at Colorado.
Oregon faced its first true test in a late-October matchup with UCLA. The Bruins and Ducks went deep into the third quarter tied at 14, but Oregon scored on its final four possessions to pull away.
But Mariota suffered a knee injury in the win that hampered him against Stanford and the Cardinal took control of the Pac-12 North race with their second straight win over the Ducks in a Thursday night game.
He bounced back by throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns against Utah, but Oregon’s hopes of extending its run of BCS bowl appearances effectively ended with a 42-16 loss to Arizona. Mariota threw his first two interceptions of the season against the Wildcats, ending his streak of pass attempts without a pick at 353, a school and Pac-12 record.
Oregon State threatened to extend Oregon’s late-season slide, but Mariota twice rallied the Ducks in the fourth quarter and hit Josh Huff for a 12-yard game-winning touchdown with 29 seconds left in a 36-35 victory.
"Every time we huddled, he was taking it one play at a time," center Hroniss Grasu said. "Just one play at a time. Just believe in each other. When Marcus talks, we all listen."
Mariota ended speculation about following Kelly to the NFL by announcing his intention to return for his junior year in early December.
With his knee back to full strength, Mariota ran for 133 yards and threw for 253 in a 30-7 win over Texas in the Alamo Bowl to again finish the season with offensive MVP honors.
Just two years into his career, Mariota tied Joey Harrington for the school’s record for total touchdowns with 77 and became the first player in program history to go over 4,000 yards in total offense in a season.
2014
JUNIOR (12-1, 8-1 Pac-12, Pac-12 champion)
Mariota’s Alamo Bowl performance seemingly served as a springboard into a Heisman run. But he declined to be the center of a formal campaign, relying on his on-field production over promotional materials to influence voters.
Oregon’s schedule would give Mariota an early opportunity to establish himself as the front-runner. After warming up against South Dakota, Mariota threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns to lead the third-ranked Ducks to a 46-27 win over No. 7 Michigan State.
"I should have to pay to watch that guy play," Helfrich said. "It’s just unbelievable to watch him train, to watch him prepare, and then to see him come to fruition in this game. We think very highly of Marcus."
He became Oregon’s all-time leader in total offense in the Michigan State win and would eventually move to the top of the program’s charts in passing yards, completions and touchdown passes as well.
But the road wasn’t without a few bumps. With the offensive line riddled by injuries, Mariota was sacked five times in the first half against Washington State. Yet he still completed 21 of 25 passes and threw five touchdown passes in a 38-31 road win.
The Ducks couldn’t escape the next week, when Arizona knocked them off for the second straight year. Anu Solomon prevailed in a matchup of Hawaii-raised quarterbacks in Mariota’s second home loss of his career.
After dropping to No. 12, Oregon and Mariota got back on track in a win at UCLA.
He went seven games before throwing his first interception of the season, a run of 253 attempts, and picked up his first win over Stanford on Nov. 1.
The Ducks rolled through the remainder of the regular season, closing with a six-touchdown performance against Oregon State, giving the Ducks a berth in the Pac-12 championship.
Mariota added that piece to his expanding resume by rushing for three touchdowns and passing for two as the Ducks avenged their loss to Arizona with a 51-13 blowout.
By then, Mariota was the clear favorite for the Heisman to be awarded a week later.
He added to his trophy collection in his personal award tour before arriving in New York for the Heisman ceremony and again delivered under the brightest of spotlights with an endearing acceptance speech after becoming the first Oregon player and Hawaii product to win college football’s most prestigious honor.
