Season in Review: RB

Reviewing Oregon's 2022 season and looking ahead to spring drills.

2022 ROSTER
RB: Bucky Irving, So.; Noah Whittington, So.; Sean Dollars, So.; Jordan James, Fr.; Byron Cardwell, So.; Kilohana Haasenritter, RFr.; Aaron Smith, RFr.; La'Vaughn Luellen, RFr.; Preston Alford, Fr.; Ellis Bynum, Fr.; Brison Cobbins, So.

Starter: For the first time since 2017, the Ducks took the field without CJ Verdell or Travis Dye at running back. How did they replace that prolific duo? With a guy who combined Verdell's explosiveness and power with Dye's vision and lateral quickness. By the time Bucky Irving wrapped up his first season in Eugene, he was drawing comparisons to some of the great backs in modern UO history, from Onterrio Smith to LaMichael James. Irving capped the year by matching his season high with 149 rushing yards in the Holiday Bowl win over North Carolina, including his first two-touchdown performance of the season. Irving's 6.78 yards per carry was among the best averages in UO history by a back in a 1,000-yard season; his limited use in short-yardage situations helped that average, while also resulting in just five touchdowns on the season.

Reserves: Another transfer, Noah Whittington, complemented Irving in 2022, rushing for 779 yards. Whittington possesses an uncanny ability to find small seams at the line and attack them with power. That was also a skill on display from true freshman Jordan James, who was the feature back most of the season in the "14J" short-yardage package. That package used a running back and four tight ends – "14" personnel – with offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. playing one of the tight end spots, making it "14J." James scored five touchdowns on the season, playing a role in the UO offense that Cyrus Habibi-Likio thrived in while playing with Verdell and Dye. The staff also designed ways to get Sean Dollars on the field, often in two-back sets. Byron Cardwell played in two early-season games before rehabbing an injury the rest of the way, while Kilohana Haasenritter had nine carries while contributing most extensively on special teams.

Developmental squad: Oregon's "look team" included a stable of solidly built backs who embraced the tough running style favored by position coach Carlos Locklyn. Notable among the group was Preston Alford, a former high school teammate of newly enrolled freshman quarterback Austin Novosad.

2023 SPRING PREVIEW
Veterans: Bucky Irving, Jr.; Noah Whittington, Jr.; Jordan James, So.; Kilohana Haasenritter, So.; La'Vaughn Luellen, So.; Preston Alford, RFr.; Ellis Bynum, RFr.; Brison Cobbins, Jr.
Newcomers: Dante Dowdell, Fr.; Jayden Limar, Fr.

What To Watch: The Ducks look exceptionally deep at this position as they embark on the 2023 campaign. The team's top three leading backs from last season return, in Irving, Whittington and James. And they added two freshmen who enrolled for winter quarter, mammoth Mississippian Dante Dowell and Washington native Jayden Limar. Both newcomers were considered four-star prospects and top-10 backs in their recruiting class as rated by various scouting services. That's a lot of talent at one position, but the Ducks did an outstanding job of devising various ways to involve different backs according to their strengths last season, and they'll look to engage in that process again this spring.