Now I know that Noah has been hurt, but our running backs are very average. An Oregon offense should have a killer RB, to make it that much harder for the defense. Imagine if we had a Reuben Droughns right now, or a LaMichael James? We would go crazy on offense...

What we have are suitable, but nobody has really stood out...until this last game. We know that Jordon Davison is nails inside the five yard line, and his blocking on pass protection has improved...but he had a couple of ten yard runs that gave me great optimism going forward. He had some shimmy, and great vision to make a four yard gain go ten yards, and we did not see that before.

Since he did it twice--he is learning at game speed. He had the second-most snaps at RB this last game, and I wonder if he will break out and take the spot?

I'm anticipating Davidson and Hill to get a LOT more reps as the year goes on. They are making some pretty good leaps in their abilities.

Other interesting note... Riggs had some good runs in garbage time with a two back set up and Davidson was a blocking back. That wasn't the first time we saw a two back formation as earlier in the season we saw a couple different ball carriers get a carry with Limar acting as a runningback blocker.

I will be keeping an eye on any two Runningback formations.

Just give Hughes more touches! Good things happen when he has the ball. I don't know what he has done here to fail to impress the coaches, but look at the guy's history!

1 minute ago, DuckFan93 said:

but look at the guy's history

Yes, but something looks amiss.

Did we whiff on the portal as he is a G5/6 RB? I'm hoping he can show what made him great at Tulane.

Are our youngsters just that much better? I hope so, only in that it means they are very very good.

Is there any chance that Makhi Hughes has been told to take it easy in the first 4 games where he was not needed, so he could be sprung on an unsuspecting Penn State?

Is that something Lanning and Stein would do?

If so, that would be AWESOME!!!

Don’t get me wrong, Droughns might be my all time favorite Duck, but I’m actually very optimistic about our frosh backs and was surprised that Noah was HB1 out of the gate. As a fan, it’s hard to get a feel when splitting carries between 7-8 guys to date.

The Good News is Noah Wittington is expected to be back for the Penn St. game.

Oregon starting running back Noah Whittington expected to be available against Penn State

I really like Davison but Noah has looked very good when he’s been healthy and I believe that Lamar has earned his playing time. He is a tough runner and quick. Reminds me a bit of Travis Dye.

I believe that Anthony Newman said he expects the rotation to shrink.

Davison has the body type that can wear down a defense. He is a +230lbs back, with thunder thighs, that can run through some DB’s. From my experience, driving through a tackle of someone 30 to 40 lbs sounds great, until you are the one doing it.

Just go run into a wall at full speed, and that will give you the true experience of getting curb stomped by a RB, or TE, that we see at times on the field.

Personally, I like splitting reps with a change of tempo type combo. Power runner, coupled with an elusive fast guy.

Perhaps knowing the blocking schemes, and assignments, keeps Hughes on the sidelines. Our depth is great for playing average teams, but you need the guys that know what is going on when any audible is called in the big games.

51 minutes ago, PittDuck said:

Is there any chance that Makhi Hughes has been told to take it easy in the first 4 games where he was not needed, so he could be sprung on an unsuspecting Penn State?

Wouldn't surprise me...

Also... think of things this way too about some of the runningbacks. We've had 4 games. They've all maxed out their redshirts. If the plan is to redshirt them now they had a chance to prove themselves and they might sit the rest of the season.

The first four games were a great chance to test the young runners while giving the vets a chance to rest. Whittington probably could have played against NW if it was against a better team like Penn State but why risk it?

Limar will be an interesting one to watch moving forward. He has had some nice flashes but he hasn't been Bucky Irving or Jordan James. At this time I don't think we have an Irving or a James. Hoping someone emerges.

I think Hill and Davison surprised at being so capable as freshmen. I can only believe Hughes has been slower to pick up offense and/or show he can block effectively.

It appears Noah is #1. Limar #2, and Davison for short yardage. Hill and Hughes are there too, but how many touches will they get.

I believe that rotation will be reduced across all positions as the season progresses. It will be up to each player to be ready when he gets his chance.

There is no doubt our RB room is deep with loads of potential. Having fresh backs for all 4 quarters will be advantageous. We will see the cream rise to the top each week.

4 minutes ago, David Marsh said:

We've had 4 games. They've all maxed out their redshirts. If the plan is to redshirt them now they had a chance to prove themselves and they might sit the rest of the season.

I totally agree, but I don't think Davison will sit. They clearly like him in short yardage situations. Almost all his touches have resulted in 1st downs ot TD's! That leaves just D Hill to redshirt.

Would M Hughes be willing to wait another year?

This week should give answers.

Here’s my take on the situation. There have been some discussions that Hughes was struggling with the playbook and grasping all the little things in the offense during the offseason. That put Noah and Limar as RB1 & RB2 out of the gate.

My guess is that the initial thought process going into fall camp was that they were probably looking to get the young guys some carries in practice and in early games (Hill and Davison) with a plan to possibly redshirt them, due to depth at the position.

The problem is that both of those guys have stepped up big time and have played extremely well for true freshmen. The result is that you have very little separation within the RB group right now.

Hill has true game breaking speed, Davison looks powerful, and both have very good vision for their age. I have been very impressed with Davison as a runner, but did you see him pick up that blitz in the OSU game? That was rad!

I love our running back room right now. There are freshmen with a ton of talent, mixed with veterans that are solid college RBs. But to Charles’ point, none of these guys are Droughns. If they were, we wouldnt be talking about rotations right now.

Im not a coach, but if I had to shorten the bench to 4 right now, it would be Noah, Limar, Hill and Davison. All things being equal, I am playing the guys with more eligibility and a higher ceiling.

Edited 15 minutes ago15 min by GeotechDuck