No tears? Now that's quack!

By Gabe Taylor

Smile, you just lost the BCS National Championship game. Sounds strange, right? Well it wraps up how Duck quarterback Darron Thomas approached the heartbreaking loss dealt to his team by the Auburn Tigers.

Normally, I would expect a blank face, possibly even the brief falling of tears, especially from a quarterback, a team leader. But as soon as the football sailed through the uprights, sending Auburn on to a 22-19 victory, Thomas raced to congratulate the Tigers' players, smiling as though the Championship trophy was his to parade around. The rest of the Ducks' frustrated facial expressions only contrasted the apparent ease with which their quarterback took the loss.

At that point, I questioned the integrity of the sophomore quarterback. Throughout the night, his inability to read the defense brought about a cycle of plays that resulted in zero gain, or even a loss of yards. Thomas appeared confused when running an option, holding onto the ball when a gap in the defensive line would have allowed LaMichael James or Kenjon Barner to break through if Thomas decided to hand the ball off.

The amount of effort Oregon's defense displayed was worthy of much more than Thomas' lack of emotional investment.

Thomas served up 27-40 passing for 363 yards, including two touchdowns with a side of two interceptions. But his overall demeanor on the field, and at the end of the game, made it appear as though Thomas was content with simply making it to the BCS Championship game after an undefeated season.

Thomas was right to congratulate Auburn. The gridiron turned into a battle field, and that is something fans and players on both sides of the turf can respect. Nevertheless, competitive nature should evoke frustration following a loss. I've seen people angrier after losing a pickup game of basketball at the park. Sports are meant to provoke both positive and negative emotions, depending on the outcome of a game. Thomas clearly had his emotions mixed up.

Had Auburn lost the game, Cam Newton would have hung his head; he would have been upset that his play - no matter its level of quality - was insufficient to bring the trophy back to Auburn.

A week from now I hope Thomas does look back in retrospect and smile, because the Ducks played one hell of a season. But after a devestating loss in a game as high profile as the BCS Championship, it should be disappointment written across Thomas' face. After a game driven by intensity, he owes at least that to the fans, his teammates, and most importantly, to himself.