Marcus Mariota: From Oregon Duck to NFL Quarterback

Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota, born on October 30, 1993, is an American professional football quarterback currently playing for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). His journey to the NFL began with a stellar college career at the University of Oregon, where he established himself as one of the most dynamic and accomplished players in Ducks history.

Early Life and High School Career

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mariota is of Samoan and German descent. He attended Saint Louis School in Honolulu, where he excelled in both football and track. Despite his athletic abilities, Mariota remained relatively unknown in football until his senior season. He led St. Louis to an 11-1 record and a state title, earning recognition as PrepStar Magazine All-West Region and Interscholastic League of Honolulu Offensive Player of the Year. That year, he threw for 2,597 yards, completing 165 of 225 passes (64.7%), with 32 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

Mariota also stood out as a track and field athlete, qualifying for state in sprinting and jumping events. At the 2010 National Underclassman Combine, he won the "Fastest Man" and "Combine King" awards after running a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. In the 2011 HHSAA T&F Championships, he placed fourth in both the 200-meter dash (23.41 s) and the long jump (20 ft, 7 in), and tenth in the 100-meter dash (11.63 s).

Rated as the No. 2 recruiting prospect in Hawaii after his senior season, Mariota received only two scholarship offers from FBS programs. He ultimately chose to play for the Oregon Ducks over Memphis.

College Career at Oregon

2011 Season (Redshirt)

Mariota redshirted his first year at Oregon in 2011, allowing him to develop and prepare for future competition.

Read also: New UCF Defensive Player

2012 Season

In 2012, Mariota made history as the first freshman to start a season opener for the Ducks in 22 seasons. He led Oregon to a 12-1 record and the No. 5 ranking in the nation. Starting in all 13 games, Mariota threw for 2,677 yards on 230-of-336 passing attempts (68.5%), with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors for his outstanding performance.

2013 Season

Mariota continued his impressive performance in 2013, leading the Ducks to an 11-2 record. He suffered a partial MCL tear against UCLA on October 26, 2013, but played through the injury for the rest of the season. After Oregon's 8-0 start, Mariota was featured on the cover of the November 4 issue of Sports Illustrated as the Heisman Trophy favorite. However, after a loss to Arizona on November 23, Oregon bounced back to beat rival Oregon State 36-35 in the Civil War. Before the Alamo Bowl on December 30, 2013, Mariota announced that he would bypass the NFL Draft and return for the 2014 season.

2014 Season: The Heisman Year

Considered a Heisman Trophy favorite entering the 2014 season, Mariota was named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award.

After a 12-1 regular season record, the Ducks were selected to play in the 2015 Rose Bowl, a semi-final game in the College Football Playoff, against Florida State and Jameis Winston. Mariota was named the Offensive MVP in the 59-20 victory, throwing for 338 yards with two passing touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards with one touchdown. With the win, Oregon faced Ohio State in the National Championship, losing 42-20.

Mariota's junior season was spectacular. He threw for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns with just two interceptions while also rushing for 669 yards and 14 scores as the Ducks finished the regular season with a 12-1 record. His 53 total touchdowns tied Sam Bradford for the most in Heisman history. Mariota led the nation in touchdowns, passing efficiency (186.33) and total offense (4,452 yards). His Heisman vote was the third-highest in history, appearing on a record 95.16% of ballots.

Legacy at Oregon

Marcus Mariota is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Oregon Ducks history. He was the first Oregon player, the first Polynesian, and the first player from Hawaii to win the Heisman Trophy.

ESPN ranked Mariota as the No. 9 college quarterback of the past 20 years. With an impressive 105-14 TD:INT ratio, Mariota also added 2,237 yards and 29 TD on the ground in his career. He fell short of the national championship, but will forever be the player who had the biggest impact with the Ducks on the national stage.

In 2020, the university conducted a poll of alumni and fans via social media, asking them to select four Oregon alumni for a notional Mount Rushmore for the university.

NFL Career

Tennessee Titans (2015-2019)

Mariota was selected second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL draft.

2015 Season

Mariota and the Titans agreed to a contract on July 21. Mariota played in his first career regular-season game on September 13 against Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers. On his fourth career pass attempt, Mariota threw his first NFL touchdown on a 52-yard throw to wide receiver Kendall Wright. Mariota finished the 42-14 road victory having thrown 13-of-15 pass completions for 209 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. Mariota gained a perfect passer rating of 158.3, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to attain a perfect passer rating in his first career start. Mariota also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in the first half of his NFL debut. He is the youngest quarterback to reach the perfect passer rating (21 years, 318 days), surpassing Robert Griffin III.

Read also: The Story of Marcus Jordan

In Week 2 against Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns, Mariota completed 21-of-37 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the 28-14 road loss. In Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints, Mariota picked up his second career win after the Titans suffered a six-game losing stretch, as well as his first fourth-quarter/overtime victory in a 34-28 overtime road victory. During a Week 13 victory of 42-39 over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mariota went 20-of-29, throwing for 268 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 112 yards on the day, including an 87-yard touchdown rush.

In the third quarter of the next game against the New York Jets, running back Antonio Andrews threw a 41-yard passing touchdown to Mariota in the wildcat formation. Mariota became the first quarterback in franchise history to catch a touchdown reception. He also became the first NFL player since 1983 (Walter Payton) to pass for a touchdown, rush for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass of at least 40 yards in the same season. In Week 15 against the Patriots, Mariota completed 3-of-6 passes for 32 yards before leaving the eventual 33-16 road loss in the second quarter with a knee injury. The next day, it was revealed that Mariota was diagnosed with another MCL sprain, and the Titans announced that he would miss the remainder of the season.

2016 Season

In Week 10 of the 2016 season, Mariota threw for four touchdowns and 295 yards as the Titans beat the Green Bay Packers 47-25. For his performance, Mariota was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Additionally, he was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November after passing for 1,124 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions for a 115.0 passer rating, in addition to rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown. However, during Week 16, Mariota fractured his right fibula in a 38-17 Christmas Eve road loss to the Jaguars. He underwent surgery and missed the regular-season finale.

2017 Season

On September 10, 2017, against the Oakland Raiders in the season opener, Mariota recorded a rushing touchdown in the first quarter for the Titans' first points of the 2017 season. He finished the 26-16 loss with 25-of-41 passes for 256 yards and totaled three rushes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Three weeks later against the Houston Texans, Mariota was limited to 96 passing yards and two interceptions, while also rushing for 39 yards and two touchdowns, before leaving the eventual 57-14 road loss with a hamstring injury. Cassel was named starter as Mariota missed the Week 5 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, but the latter returned in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts in a 36-22 victory.

In the regular season finale, with a playoff berth on the line, Mariota and the Titans faced the AFC South Champion, the Jaguars. Mariota successfully completed that game to win 15-10, and locked up the #5 seed in the playoffs after the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals later that day. Making his first career postseason appearance, Mariota and the Titans went on the road to face the AFC West Champion, the Kansas City Chiefs. In the Wild Card Round, Mariota became only the second player in NFL history, and the first quarterback in the playoffs, to catch his own pass for a touchdown after it was batted back to him by cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Titans narrowly won 22-21, after being down 21-3 at halftime, for their first playoff win since the 2003 season. The team's postseason run ended in the Divisional Round against the Patriots.

2018 Season

In the season-opener against the Dolphins, Mariota was limited to 103 passing yards and 15 rushing yards before leaving the eventual 27-20 road loss with an elbow injury. He missed Week 2 against the Texans due to his injury, and Blaine Gabbert was named starter. During a Week 3 road victory of 9-6 over the Jaguars, Mariota came in to relieve Gabbert, who suffered a concussion. Mariota completed 12-of-18 passes for 100 yards and rushed for 51 yards. In Week 4, Mariota returned to the starting lineup to face the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles. He completed 30-of-43 passes for 344 yards, two passing touchdowns, and an interception to go along with 46 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Following a Week 8 bye, Mariota made his second appearance on Monday Night Football as the Titans defeated the Dallas Cowboys on the road 28-14. He threw for 240 yards and two passing touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards and a rushing touchdown, to improve to 2-0 as a starter on Monday Night Football. In Week 10 against the Patriots, Mariota led the Titans to a 34-10 win, marking the team's first victory over the Patriots since 2002. He threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 21 yards and caught a pass for 21 yards. In Week 12 against the Texans, Mariota successfully completed his first 19 passes, as well as throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the 34-17 road loss completing 22-of-23 passes for a completion percentage of 95.7. During Week 16 against the Washington Redskins, Mariota was limited to 110 passing yards and seven rushing yards before leaving the eventual 25-16 victory with a temporary injury to the nerves in the neck/shoulder area. Without Mariota and with the playoffs in contention for the regular-season finale, Gabbert led the Titans in a loss to the Colts. Mariota finished the 2018 season with a career-low 11 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a career-low 2,528 passing yards.

2019 Season

During the season-opening 43-13 road victory over the Browns, Mariota threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 227 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 24-10 road victory. During a Week 6 shutout road loss of 16-0 to the Denver Broncos, Mariota was benched in the third quarter in favor of Ryan Tannehill with the Titans trailing 13-0 after throwing for 63 yards and two interceptions. The following week against the Los Angeles Chargers, Tannehill was named the starter with Mariota serving as backup. He remained the backup for the rest of the season. In the regular-season finale against the Texans, which resulted in a 35-14 road victory, Mariota came in to throw a single pass. The 24-yard connection to rookie wide receiver A. J.

Las Vegas Raiders (2020)

Mariota made his Raiders' debut in the first quarter of the Week 15 matchup against the Chargers after Carr left the eventual 30-27 overtime loss with a groin injury.

Philadelphia Eagles (2023)

In a backup role to Jalen Hurts, Mariota appeared in three games.

Washington Commanders (2024-Present)

On March 14, 2024, Mariota signed a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders. He briefly wore 0 as his jersey number, the first quarterback in NFL history to do so, before changing to 18 after training camp. The Commanders' first round selection (second overall, as Mariota had been) in the 2024 NFL draft was quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was named starter for the season. On September 7, Mariota was placed on injured reserve after he strained his pectoral muscle in practice. He was activated on October 5. In Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, Daniels suffered a rib injury and Mariota entered the game, where he completed 18-of-23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. During the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, Mariota replaced Jayden Daniels to start the second half as Dallas led 9-3. Despite one drive in the fourth quarter where Mariota was sacked twice and forced to punt, the Commanders scored three touchdowns for a 23-19 comeback road victory. The last drive resulted in a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin with two seconds remaining. Daniels started each of the Commanders' postseason games, with Mariota making no appearances.

tags: #marcus #mariota #college #career