LaJames Article

[dthomas=ddixon]

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/s ... 6186129200

EUGENE –It’s all hope at this point, considering LaMichael James hasn’t carried the ball for Oregon yet.

One can only believe coach Chip Kelly when he talks about James, the redshirt freshman from Texarkana, Texas, who Kelly recruited to be the next speedy and elusive back in the Ducks’ rushing attack.

Kelly thinks James should compete for carries along with Andre Crenshaw and Remene Alston as the Ducks seek the needed second back to complement LeGarrette Blount in 2009.

“He’s an exciting, dynamic player with the ball in his hands,” says Kelly, who says James could have played last year, if not for the presence of Jeremiah Johnson. “We expect big things from him.”

Some fans talk about James being bigger and just as good as Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers, a fellow Texan who only rushed for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie last season. We’ll see.

And the Ducks will have to see how James performs, considering he had offseason shoulder surgery and will be wearing the “don’t-touch-LaMichael” red jersey during spring practice, which began this week.

“I hope I can get in the rotation next season and have an impact on the game,” James says. “I want us to have the best running-back program in the nation. I hope all of us do well.”

[ncduck]

I hope so too LaMichael. I hope so too.

[duckgrad99]

I would hope that the majority of carries would go to Blount and James.

[karlhungis]

James says. “I want us to have the best running-back program in the nation. I hope all of us do well.”


I love that attitude.