Sam Noyer Named Starting QB vs Purdue

Sam Noyer has been named Oregon State's starting quarterback against Purdue, head coach Jonathan Smith announced at his press conference on Monday afternoon.

"We talked with the quarterbacks yesterday, and made the decision to go with Sam as the starting quarterback," Smith said. "The quarterback room did a good job with the back and forth all camp, but ultimately, the best way to do it was to make a decision today so we could get a week of work in knowing how we're building this gameplan."

A Beaverton, Ore. native, the 6-foot-4, 227-pound Noyer is coming off an All Pac-12 Second-Team season at Colorado in 2020 where he helped lead the Buffs to an Alamo Bowl appearance.

In June, Noyer announced that he would be returning home and transferring to Oregon State for his final season of eligibility.

He threw for 1,101 yards and six touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing 55% of his throws. He also added five rushing touchdowns and 208 rushing yards on 52 carries.

Chance Nolan will serve as Noyer's primary backup, while true-freshman Sam Vidlak will hold the No. 3 spot.

Tristan Gebbia, who was firmly in the mix of this QB battle before suffering an injury before the final scrimmage, isn't fully healthy and Smith said that the team will be looking to take it slow with him with the hope that he'll be back to 100% at some point here soon.

"We want to give him time to get as close to healthy and 100% as possible. We feel like the best avenue is to continue to take it week by week, limit his reps, and see where it goes from there."