EUGENE — Oregon’s backup quarterback situation is somewhat murky after walk-on Brock Thomas was the only additional signal caller to see game action in last week’s win at Rutgers.

Austin Novosad and Luke Moga traveled and went through pregame warmups at SHI Stadium with no apparent issues, and so too did walk-on Ryder Hayes. Yet Thomas, who was 3 of 4 for 45 yards with a 15-yard rush, was the only quarterback other than Dante Moore to see the field.

Dan Lanning said Thomas, who is 5 of 9 for 59 yards while appearing in five games this season — two more than Moga and four more than Novosad — has earned the opportunities in practice. All of them have already redshirted during their careers.

“Those guys have also done a really good job as well,” Lanning said. “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.”

Novosad, who was said to be competing with Moore for the starting job this offseason, has not played since the season opener against Montana State, when he went 1 of 2 for 40 yards. He was listed as questionable on UO’s availability report against Oklahoma State and Northwestern with what Lanning said was a back issue.

Moga is 3 of 5 for 58 yards and has three carries for 49 yards, all coming in the first three games.

“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 that have done that. Brock’s done a really good job. Luke and Austin have 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. But right now, Brock has earned those opportunities in practice.”

No. 6 Oregon (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) vs Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4)

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 25
  • Time: 4 p.m. PT
  • Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
  • TV: FS1
  • Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers) or Sling (college football season pass is just $199). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.