Having gone through 15 practices and two scrimmages this month in preparation for the 2024 football season, Will Stein had a bit of advice for his three quarterbacks: Be like Bo.

Oregon’s offensive coordinator wants his quarterbacks to emulate the type of efficiency and intelligence that Bo Nix exhibited during 2023 when he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy as a senior.

“We have elite talent on the edge, our tight ends, our backs,” Stein said after the Ducks’ practice Monday. “Get them the ball quickly and let them go do work.”

Nix thrived in that role in 2023. He set the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage at 77.45% when he completed 364-of-470 passes to also set single-season program records for completions, passing yards (4,508) and passing touchdowns (45).

Nix led the nation in passing touchdowns and was ranked second in passing yards per game (322.0), total passing yards and passer rating (188.32).

He also threw just three interceptions.

Nix hasn’t looked any different through the first two preseason games of his NFL rookie campaign with the Denver Broncos.

The No. 12 overall pick in April’s NFL draft started against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and went 8-for-9 passing for 80 yards and a touchdown in two series to become the favorite to be the Broncos’ opening game starter.

“Take the easy money,” Stein said with emphasis. “Everybody wants these 50-yard bombs every play. It’s not reality. Everybody watched Bo last night … dink, dunk, curl, shot, run it in. It’s not rocket science.”

New Oregon starter Dillon Gabriel is also coming off a pretty good 2023 season. He threw for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions at Oklahoma before transferring.

Now the sixth-year senior will be in charge of a Ducks’ offense loaded with skill position players just waiting for him to deliver the ball. The combo of Gabriel’s talent and Oregon’s potential on offense has made Gabriel the 2024 Heisman Trophy favorite, according to BetMGM.

The easiest way to make that a reality will be to heed Stein’s pleas to make the smart play and not force the big play.

“Everybody wants ‘air yards’ and all this ... crap,” Stein said. “Let’s score touchdowns. How do you score touchdowns? Get it to your playmakers fast. That’s it. … When our quarterbacks figure that out, just like Bo did last year, you throw 45 touchdowns, 4,500 yards and you score a ton of points. So that’s where we gotta get to and we’re nearing that. I feel really good with our first group and some immediate backups. We gotta continue to lean on just trusting the scheme, trust the system and take the easy money.”

Reserve sophomore QB Dante Moore and redshirt freshman Austin Novosad have been competing since the spring to be Gabriel’s backup. Moore was a five-game starter for UCLA last season and in nine games total threw for 1,610 yards and 11 TDs but was also undermined by nine interceptions.

“Overall I feel like my confidence got way better with throwing the ball and mentally just becoming better at the game,” the former 5-star recruit said Monday of his improvements this offseason.

“I think he’s still learning and growing in the system,” Stein said. “But he’s at a point now where I feel really good about his progress.”

Stein said the quarterbacks played better last Saturday during the second scrimmage of fall camp, though there were still a couple of interceptions thrown.

“We’re at a point now where they’re really handling things up front,” Stein said. “Again, run checks, protection checks, changing routes. I feel good with where we’re at and we’re just going to continue to practice and get things right.”

Follow Chris Hansen on X @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon football OC Will Stein wants his QBs to be like Bo Nix