At the "BLeav in Oregon" podcast hosts Zachary Neel and Pro Duck Jonathan Stewart debated what will be a crucial decision for the Ducks this season: Dividing the carries at running back.
Neel asked J-Stew, "What type of backfield do we see? Is this a Jordan James RB-1 type thing with Makhi Hughes, or is this like the first year with Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington where they're both getting 12-13 carries a game?"
It's something to watch from position coach Ra'Shaad Samples, who is entering his second year in charge of the Quack Attack running game. He's got a deep stable of backs in Hughes, Whittington, "Dink" Riggs, Jay Harris, Jayden Limar and the freshmen, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill.
Stewart, who toted the rock 516 times for 2,891 yards in three seasons as a Duck, said, "As a fan, I would want to see the RB split because we don't know what Makhi Hughes is actually going to be able to do at this level of ball."
The Oregon Ducks brought in Makhi Hughes alongside Noah Whittington for 2025. Is this a true RB split, or will the Tulane transfer take over as the RB1?@Jonathanstewar1 breaks down the player mentality going into this situation. @BleavNetwork pic.twitter.com/SwZ0Dh38EJ
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) July 22, 2025
"You're in the Big Ten now. This is big-boy ball."
"But out the gate? As a player? I want the carry."
It's a dilemma. At Tulane over the last two seasons in the American Athletic Conference, Hughes was a workhorse with 265 and 258 carries, good for 2,779 yards and 22 touchdowns. At Oregon last year Whittington battled back from knee surgery to carry the ball 118 times for 540 yards and 6 TDs, with a long run of 28 yards.
🦆 Timeline cleanse. Noah Whittington hammering his way into the end zone 🔨💥 pic.twitter.com/QsGr4k9kp7
— Lucy (@upthascoducks) July 2, 2025
Whittington's getting his burst back-- he also bolted for a 100-yard kickoff return. At the same time it's hard to deny Riggs, Harris and Limar some touches. Each of them have displayed explosiveness and power in their limited opportunities.
Playing time is earned. The guys in the running back room will settle this debate themselves by first making plays in practice, then producing and taking care of the football in September.
In the Group of Five Hughes proved to be a tackler-breaker and an explosive weapon. He racked up 1,982 yards after contact in two seasons, broke free for seven runs of 30 yards or more in 2024. He didn't lose a single fumble in 523 carries with the Green Wave.
Both Whittington and Hughes are good receivers out of the backfield.
A top back has to feel the rhythm of the game and he needs work to do that, but another important consideration is that the season is longer than ever now, almost NFL-like in the demands it makes on players' bodies, particularly at running back. It takes 16 games to win a national championship.
Stewart's own history is instructive. He was a warrior at UO, a future NFL first-round draft pick who toted the rock 280 times as a junior in '07, for 1,722 yards. Trouble was, with that workload he suffered a painful turf toe injury that limited him to 13 carries and 33 yards in a 16-0 loss to UCLA in November.
Better load management might have kept him fresher. Second on the team in rushing in that ill-fated year was quarterback Dennis Dixon, 105 carries for 583 yards and nine touchdowns. Dixon went down with a knee injury, one that cost the Ducks a run at the national championship and potential Heisman Trophy.
In 2025, Samples has the challenge of keeping six running backs happy while avoiding losing one or two of them to the portal. With an inexperienced starter at quarterback, consistency and productivity in the running game become even more vital.
If the Ducks show the ability to move the ball and pound the rock, it keeps some of the pressure off Dante Moore while setting up the deep and intermediate passing game for success.