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"Being the Oregon quarterback who follows Marcus Mariota must feel a bit like being the New York Yankees shortstop who replaces Derek Jeter. It’s a nearly impossible task, so Vernon Adams Jr. didn’t play this spring—he’ll arrive to campus over the summer, while Jeff Lockie went 9 of 9 for 223 yards with three touchdowns in the spring game—but regardless of who starts, the Ducks will surround him with plenty of weapons. Among them: Royce Freeman, ran for 1,365 yards in 2014; Bralon Addison, who is back after recovering from a torn ACL; and Charles Nelson, who caught five passes for 144 yards in just the first half of Oregon's spring game."
"Stanford’s 2014 season felt a lot like Michigan State’s ’12 campaign: It didn’t live up to the hype and featured lots of close losses (including a 17-14 defeat at Notre Dame that was decided when Golson, who was 20 of 42 passing to that point, threw a 28-yard scoring strike on fourth-and-11 with one minute remaining). Still, it was likely more of an aberration than an omen of a downfall to come. Senior quarterback Kevin Hogan came on strong toward the end of last fall, and junior tight end Austin Hooper made five grabs for 103 yards in the spring game. There’s also linebacker Blake Martinez, who should spearhead a defense that has routinely been terrific. 'Blake Martinez is on the verge of stardom,'coach David Shaw told reporters after the team’s final spring scrimmage. 'He’s got a chance to be really special.'"
