Oregon has their Ducks in a row, literally

At this early point of the season the Oregon Ducks have achieved something fans rarely see in college football.

Highest Avg. Yards Per Carry thru Week 2 in West football

19.3—King Miller, USC

14.0—Dakorien Moore, Oregon

11.9—Jayden Limar, Oregon

11.4—Noah Whittington, Oregon

11.2—Dierre Hill Jr., Oregon

11.0—Dylan Riley, Boise St

10.7—Byrd Ficklin, Utah

10.4—Christopher Frew, Air Force

10.4—Quincy Craig, Arizona

10.2—Terron Kellman, Wyoming

10.0—Waymond Jordan, USC

In all of the West, four of the top ball carriers in yards per carry are Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Bronco. Noah Whittington leads this startling burst of productivity and explosiveness with 14 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns, Jayden Limar, one of the surprises on the team, follows with nine carries for 107 yards and two TDs.

Limar elevated himself from a bit player to the No. 2 running back and special teams ace this season, demonstrating both growth and competitiveness in clawing his way to a larger role in a loaded position group.

Lanning praised the junior from Lake Stevens in his press conference this week. "I said just keep working and it's going to come. This year it's come."

The two flashy freshmen Moore and Hill have been brilliant in a small sample, each with a touchdown and a run of 25 yards or more. Both Whittington and Limar have a run of over 50 yards, with Whittington breaking free for a 59-yard score on a beautifully-blocked carry on the second play of the game against Oklahoma State, racing around a block by Alex Harkey on the first play of the season against Montana State.

Explosive plays in the running game have ignited the Oregon offense, and the Ducks have started fast.

When a running back gashes an opposing defense with a carry like this, it gets in a safety's head. They watch film, they check the iPad, and they vow to recognize that key and cut it off. Trouble is, Will Stein has already moved on to the play off that play, the misdirection, and he's got 7-8 defenders moving the wrong way and overreacting.

Which results in another big play. The combination of creative play design and unselfish blocking has the Ducks are stacking the explosives and deceptives at a staggering rate.

The averages are sure to go down once the Ducks move into the meat of the season facing better athletes, but this week's matchup against Northwestern looks like another one in which the Quack Attack enjoys a schematic and talent advantage.

In the opener the Wildcats gave up a 69-yard keeper to Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff and 269 yards rushing overall. NU's game against FCS bottom-feeder Western Illinois was predictably one-sided.

If Oregon's offensive tackles Harkey and Isaiah World can move defensive ends
Anto Saka and Aidan Hubbard off the ball or push them the way they want to go and out of the play, Stein can extend his play-calling magic. Saka is 6-4, 255, No.4, a junior from Baltimore, Maryland with nine career sacks.

Hubbard, No. 91, 6-4, 255, is a senior from Cleveland with four tackles this year and one sack, 14 career sacks over four seasons.

Elite defensive line is a stretch, but World, Harkey, Emmanuel Pregnon, Dave Iuli and Iapani Laloulu possess a size and strength advantage this weekend. Stein should be able to dial up ways to exploit it, creating more chunk plays for opposing defensive coordinators to obsess over while the Oregon staff draws up the counters to what they've already done.

By the end of the year those averages will likely be less gaudy due to a larger sample size, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Ducks stack 4-6 ball carriers at the top of the West. The ability to strike quickly will be a hallmark of a running back room that goes seven-deep.

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