Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James puts narrative to bed with monster performance
In a game where the Oregon Ducks saw quarterback Dillon Gabriel throw two interceptions in the red zone in the first half against Michigan State, it was running back Jordan James who powered the Ducks to an early lead.Finally, finally, we saw James get the breakaway runs that had been eluding him before tonight. James […]
In a game where the Oregon Ducks saw quarterback Dillon Gabriel throw two interceptions in the red zone in the first half against Michigan State, it was running back Jordan James who powered the Ducks to an early lead.
Finally, finally, we saw James get the breakaway runs that had been eluding him before tonight. James snapped off a 41-yard touchdown in a dominant first half on his way to a final stat line of 24 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown.
Prior to tonight's game, it was a glaring statistical outlier that James hadn't been able to log breakaway runs. He has the size, the speed, the physicality, the agility, and the vision to pour it on opposing teams. Yet, somehow, James had a total of 32 breakaway yards through their first four games, according to PFF.
He made up for lost time on Friday night. James had five runs that went for 15+ yards, including the above 41-yarder, and 106 of his 167 rushing yards on the day were thanks to breakaway runs. That's 63.5% of his rushing yards on the game.
James also compiled an astounding 111 rushing yards after contact, and was credited with nine missed tackles forced. This was the performance that I have been waiting for.
He also ran through a dude's face.
That's my running back. James had it all going on Friday night, and is now up to 553 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry, and five touchdowns through five games. James is a walking bucket.
The team is establishing themselves as a team that can out-muscle opponents in the trenches, and has a running back that runs hard and physically. Oregon's going to need him next Saturday in the matchup of the season against Ohio State.
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning points out area where QB Dillon Gabriel must improve
Dillon Gabriel needs to clean this up.
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