EUGENE -- Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas still isn't over the loss to Auburn in the BCS championship game.

So the No. 3 Ducks' season opener against No. 4 LSU on Saturday has all kinds of implications for him: It's a chance to redeem himself against a highly ranked team on national television, a game many say will set the tone for the season. It's at Cowboys Stadium in his home state of Texas, so a lot of friends and family will be there.

And on top of that, Thomas was set on going to LSU before changing his mind and committing to Oregon.

"This is like the championship," he said. "If we lose this game, it's a done season."

Thomas heads into his junior season carrying the Ducks on his shoulders. Last season, as a first-year starter and a redshirt sophomore, the overall team leadership role was left to some of the more vocal seniors such as Spencer Paysinger and Casey Matthews.

But since fall camp opened, coach Chip Kelly has been emphatic that Thomas is THE leader of the Ducks. Kelly even referred to his QB as "Coach Thomas" after the first practice.

"He's really grown into the leadership role that we've asked him to, being the quarterback of our football team," Kelly said at the start of camp. "The exciting thing for us is he's only going to be a junior."

Thomas threw for 2,881 yards and 30 touchdowns last season and ran for five more scores. He directed the speedy spread-option that helped Oregon reach the BCS championship game and finish 12-1.

His lone loss as a starter came in the title game against Auburn. Even though the Tigers ultimately won it 22-19 on a field goal with no time left, Thomas threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns.

"He took that game harder than any of us took it even though he had a great game," running back Kenjon Barner said.

Barner said Thomas changed after that.

"He's more of a leader," Barner said. "He's grabbed this team by the horns and he's leading us in the right direction."

Thomas got to this point in a rather unexpected way.

The Houston native graduated from high school early and arrived in Eugene at age 17. As a true freshman in 2008, he was pressed into duty against Boise State because of injuries. With the Ducks down 24 points, he nearly orchestrated a comeback over the final 15 minutes, throwing for 210 yards and three TDs in the 37-32 loss.

After Thomas redshirted in 2009, it appeared he would be Oregon's third-string QB in 2010, behind Jeremiah Masoli and Nate Costa. But Masoli got into offseason trouble and was booted off the team, and Thomas pushed fifth-year senior Costa hard for the job during fall camp.

Kelly finally announced Thomas had won the job after the team's final practice scrimmage.

But Thomas' career at Oregon hasn't been a fairy tale. He has turned up in the wrong place several times.

Most recently, he was a passenger in a rental car driven by Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris that was pulled over after police clocked it at 118 mph on Interstate 5.

Harris was cited for speeding and suspended indefinitely from the team, although he is allowed to practice.

Thomas maintains he was sleeping when Harris was pulled over. And while the officer who stopped Harris believed he smelled marijuana in the car, Thomas said he did nothing illegal.

Last summer, he was a passenger when Masoli was stopped for a traffic infraction and marijuana was found in the car. Masoli, who had earlier pleaded guilty in connection to an unrelated burglary incident, was later dismissed from the team.

Thomas was also a passenger in 2008 when linebacker Eddie Pleasant crashed while street racing in Springfield.

Thomas was not cited for any of those incidents.

Kelly was steadfast in backing his quarterback.

"Darron Thomas is the leader of this football team," Kelly said. "I have absolutely no question about it. Describe his leadership? He's as good as I've been around."

Whether Thomas has learned from his mistakes remains to be seen, but to his credit he came out and faced the media after the latest incident with Harris.

And perhaps that's another thing that places significance on the LSU opener in Thomas' mind: making sure he's looked at for what he does on the field, not off it.

Regardless of his motivation, there's no doubting how Thomas feels about the game.

"It's extra special to me," he said. "I want to come out with a win."