CORVALLIS – Oregon State’s Chance Nolan had a noticeable bounce to his step as he took his new role as winning quarterback out for a test drive during Tuesday’s practice.
Coming off a 45-27 win over Hawaii, offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said there was a difference in Nolan’s command and respect from teammates. It’s what happens when a quarterback backs up his play by winning a game, which for Nolan was his first as a starter at Oregon State.
Nolan hasn’t been the chosen man during his tenure at Oregon State. He started three games during the 2020 season after Tristan Gebbia suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. Nolan was promoted to starter against Hawaii after Sam Noyer’s ineffective performance at Purdue.
There may be no turning back for the fourth-year sophomore now that Nolan has proven he can win as a starting quarterback. He was 0-3 in that role last year, but looked the part of a winner in directing Oregon State’s offense to 45 points and 558 yards against Hawaii.
There have been bigger upsets than Nolan starting at quarterback for the Beavers. But for much of preseason camp in August, Nolan was nowhere near the favorite to start for OSU this season.
Gebbia and Noyer took most of the reps with the first offense during the opening weeks of camp. Nolan was often mentioned by the coaches as “in the mix,” mostly because no one had distinguished themselves as the clear-cut starter.
But Gebbia’s surgically repaired hamstring became sore, giving Nolan more opportunities. He shined during the final 10 days of camp. When Noyer had trouble moving the Beavers against Purdue, Nolan stepped in and finished two of the final four drives with touchdowns. After Hawaii, the job appears his for the long haul.
Nolan said he never doubted his chances of starting.
“We have a great group of guys in our QB room but we’re all here to compete and to get after it,” Nolan said. “Coach Lindgren does a great job of telling us how it is. For the whole camp, he was letting us compete. All four guys (including Sam Vidlak) were thinking we have a chance to be the starter. That’s just kind of the mindset we have to have.”
Lindgren said when Gebbia was sidelined late in camp, Nolan “saw an opportunity, got more reps and kind of ran with it. He made it a really close call at the end of camp. It’s been really fun see him progress the last couple weeks.”
Nolan is not a prototypical quarterback for Oregon State’s pro-style offense. He came to the Beavers from Saddleback College rated as the nation’s No. 1 JC dual threat quarterback. Quarterbacks under coach Jonathan Smith have been anything but runners, as Jake Luton and Gebbia are pure pocket types.
Lindgren has some experience with dual threat quarterbacks while offensive coordinator at Colorado. Lindgren isn’t designing a lot of run plays for Nolan, but says he likes “not to have to call the perfect play all the time. Sometimes they’ve got you covered and he can go get you 10 or 15 yards with his feet, or extend a play.”
In five games at Oregon State, Nolan has run for 198 yards and a touchdown.
In looking for the next college while at Saddleback, Nolan said OSU’s appeal was preparing him for a chance to someday become a pro quarterback. Nolan feels he’s added the ability to play under center, efficiently run a play-action pass and make proper checks during his two years in Oregon State’s program.
“We do a lot of stuff here that they’re doing in the NFL,” Nolan said. “Coach Lindgren is doing a great job at kind of changing things around … so I can use my legs. Oregon State, it’s been a great fit for me.”
Nolan started three games last year, in losses to Utah, Stanford and Arizona State. During the offseason Nolan went to work on adapting his game to Oregon State’s offense. It’s noticeable, as Nolan no longer takes off at the first hint of pressure or a play unwinding.
“I’ve been able to stay in there now more and kind of go through my 1-2-3 reads and find my check downs,” Nolan said. “Last year, at times I was a little antsy. … Also, my overall knowledge of just the football game and coverages and different schemes and what people are trying to disguise is something where I’ve grown a lot.”
It’s shown up in Nolan’s passing numbers, as he is 31 of 45 this season, a 69 percent completion rate. Compare that to a year ago, when Nolan was barely over 50 percent at 46 of 91.
It’s not like Nolan’s 69 percent completion rate is a product of dinking and dunking. He’s as apt to throw a deep ball as anyone of the roster.
“Chance has always had that mentality,” Lindgren said. “He really has faith in those receivers, and he’ll put the ball up, where some guys may or may not have.”
--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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