Backfield Depth Shines As Ducks Win Opener
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
There were reasons to wonder about Oregon’s rushing attack in Saturday’s season opener against Eastern Washington. As it turned out, none of them were legitimate.
Yes, the Ducks were without offensive linemen Hroniss Grasu and Jake Fisher, after both were drafted by NFL teams. And running back Thomas Tyner wasn’t with the team for preseason camp.
But the UO offense didn’t skip a beat in the 61-42 win over Eastern Washington, rushing for 485 yards and six touchdowns. That included a career-high 180 yards for sophomore workhorse Royce Freeman, who scored three touchdowns and didn’t have a single carry for lost yardage among his 21 rushes.
“They had a great week of practice this last week, and I was confident they were going to come out and do well,” position coach Gary Campbell said. “And they did. They did exactly what I expected.”
Freeman and company ran behind an offensive line that welcomed back left tackle Tyler Johnstone for the first time since the 2013 Alamo Bowl. The line was centered by graduate transfer Matt Hegarty, who was making his debut replacing the four-year starter Grasu.
According to Freeman, the transition was seamless. “After the first couple drives it was smooth sailing,” Freeman said. “The guys (on the line) were on the same page, and we were all on the same page.”
Though Freeman started Saturday’s game, sophomore Kani Benoit finished off the first drive with an eight-yard touchdown run.
Benoit said UO offensive coordinator Scott Frost had stoked a competition among the Ducks to see who would score the first points of the season. Benoit’s pregame prediction: “Royce, obviously.”
Instead, an offseason spent reshaping his body and dedicating himself to the playbook paid off. Benoit finished Saturday with 83 yards on 11 carries, including a couple on which he absorbed the initial contact, kept his feet moving while maintaining his balance and continued upfield.
“It’s been a process,” Benoit said. “All of this time has been a process. I’m starting to see the fruits of my labor, so it’s been good.”
Tony Brooks-James made his UO debut as a redshirt freshman, carrying six times for 63 yards and two touchdowns – like Freeman and Benoit, he also didn’t have a carry for lost yardage. And, late in the game, true freshman Taj Griffin also made his collegiate debut, using his dynamic quickness to break free for a 61-yard gain, the Ducks’ longest play of the night.
A few minutes earlier, Griffin had been getting loose on a stationary bike. Benoit knew Griffin would be entering the game, and so gave him a quick pep talk about getting the play call and being disciplined in his execution.
That a five-star talent like Griffin was fourth off the bench speaks to Oregon’s incredible talent out of the backfield. “I know they have my back,” Freeman said. “I can come out for a couple plays, we can get into a rotation and the offense doesn’t skip a beat.”
And, if he’s not careful, Freeman can get trumped in the competition to score the Ducks’ first touchdown of the season.
“We’re an unselfish backfield,” Benoit said with a smile. “So when somebody’s tired and somebody else has to go in and handle business, that’s just what we do.”
