Oregon opens the season in less than two weeks. And when the Ducks take the field against Portland State, it’ll be a debut day for new offensive coordinator Will Stein.

The Ducks should be heavy favorites over the Vikings. If things go according to plan, the first-team offense will have a short day and Oregon will be able to get some younger guys onto the field. Particularly, that’ll be the case at the quarterback spot; Oregon knows what it has in Bo Nix and it won’t want to keep Nix on the field longer than it has to.

If the opportunity presents itself, Oregon fans will get to see backups Ty Thompson and Austin Novosad.

Stein said Monday he likes where Thompson is at in his development.

“Ty’s obviously experienced in this offense and in this conference,” Stein said Monday. “He’s seen a lot of ball. He’s extremely intelligent. He’s taken major strides this fall to put himself in a good position to be the next man up, but Austin Novosad has definitely pushed him.”

Thompson was a big-time recruit. The 6-foot-4 passer has yet to really put it all together in the collegiate level, though. He sat behind Anthony Brown as a freshman, then sat behind Nix last year. He’s set to do the same this season.

Nix is in his final year of college ball, though. Thompson, who has taken just 35 career pass attempts for Oregon, will be looking to show he’s worthy of the starting spot next year. But the true freshman seems to be biting at his heels.

“From where Austin got here in the spring — newcomer to college football, the speed of the game’s different, verbiage is different — to where he is now, he’s leaps and bounds improved from Day 1 of spring ball. I’m really happy about his progress and can’t wait to see what happens.”

Overall, Stein has been pleased with the competition he’s seen from the two.

“I think it’s been really good,” he said. “It’s been really healthy. That room pushes each other.”