The Oregon Ducks football team has done a pretty good job at avoiding the injury bug in 2023.
But they were hit with some devastating news this week as head coach Dan Lanning announced running back Noah Whittington will miss the remainder of the 2023 season with a lower leg injury.
Whittington was knocked out of the Colorado game last week late in the third quarter in what looked like an ankle injury.
Fortunately, if one can call this fortunate, the Ducks are very deep at the running back position. Bucky Irving and Whittington received pretty much an equal amount of carries and playing time, but now Irving will receive the majority of the playing time.
In Whittington’s place, the Ducks will go to sophomore Jordan James, who was one of the top running back recruits in the Class of 2021.
James has been used primarily as a goal line specialist, but now he’ll get carries in between the 20s.
In the few occasions he has played in non-goal line situations, James has proven he’s up to the task. James has run away speed, as he showed in his 33-yard touchdown run at Stanford.
Irving will now become RB1 in a very talented running back room.
He’s fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing yards, averaging nearly 80 yards a game and four touchdowns.
No doubt those numbers will increase now.
Besides Irving and James, the Ducks’ depth at the tailback spot is as good as one could hope for.
True freshmen Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar could be called upon to help out. Dowdell was a four-star recruit and a Top 10 running back out of Picayune, Miss.
As for Limar, he’s also a Top 10 running back out of Lake Stevens, Washington.
Both he and Dowdell were probably looking to redshirt this season and one or both could possibly still do that, but given Whittington’s situation, redshirting might not be an option.
Whittington is a junior and he could apply to the NCAA for a waiver to get another year of eligibility.
If granted the transfer from Western Kentucky could have two more seasons as a Duck.
WEDNESDAY PRESSER; DAN LANNING DISCUSSES BYE WEEK