Oregon Ducks Football: LaMichael James Season Review

LaMichael James is one of the quickest, most elusive backs that we have ever seen in recent years. He’s a unique back who is the best Pac-12 RB since Barry Sanders, which is definitely saying something. But the statistics and tape prove it, because nobody can make you look as silly in the open field or be as much of a threat to consistently rip a huge gain than LMJ.

The second greatest player in conference history, James finished his career with 53 rushing touchdowns and 5,082 yards on the ground for a total of 6.6 yards per carry in his career. He also added 586 yards and four TDs as a pass-catcher, which amounts to 348 career points when you factor in the punt return touchdown last year.

LMJ’s overall numbers are also off the charts when looking at the leaderboards. Below is a short representation of those numbers.

LaMichael James 2011 placement on leaderboards

Rushing yards 1,805 (1st in Pac-12, 2nd in nation)

Rushing yards per attempt 7.3 (1st in conference, 5th in nation)

Rushing touchdowns 18 (1st in conference, 9th in nation)

Yards from scrimmage 2,015 (1st in conference, 5th in nation)

Points 120 (1st in conference)

Punt return yardage on 13 attempts 139 (6th in conference)

So, who still thinks Chris Polk is the better back? Those numbers are mind-boggling, and LaMichael James will be off to a successful NFL career; I’m sure of it, no matter what the size-driven scouts say. Why degrade someone based on size when they have that kind of elusiveness and college production? Underrate arguably the greatest Oregon Duck in team history at your own peril, because he’s a one-of-a-kind talent. I mean, he was barely less valuable than Barkley, who is easily a top ten pick. James should be a second rounder and a more than capable back in the NFL.

LaMichael James had four games with over 200 rushing yards last season, including three straight such performances against Missouri State (204), Arizona (288), and California (239). The Missouri State performance came on just 12 (!) carries, while the Cal game was against one of the better run defenses in the country. He finished the season with three straight games over 100 yards, including another 200-yard (219) performance against the Bruins. Just incredible stuff. It’s time to celebrate a terrific season by one of the greatest backs in conference history, and he was definitely the main reason why we won the Rose Bowl last season.

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