Oregon Football: 6 Ducks That Were Disappointments in 2012

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We've reached the end of the season which means it's time for player evaluations.

We could just look at the positives of the the 2012 Oregon Ducks, but we sadly must be realistic and look at which Ducks didn't live up to their expectations this season.

On half of the players on the following list were sheer and utter disappointments this season. The other three just didn't live up to all of the preseason hype, thus landing themselves on this list. 

De'Anthony Thomas

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Thomas entered the 2012 season carrying a truck's worth of Heisman hype.

All that hype appeared to be too heavy for the 170-pound Thomas, as DAT failed to live up to his lofty expectations.

You can't knock Thomas for trying this season though as he came out of the gates on fire leading the nation in yards per touch and looked just as explosive as ever.

Sadly once Pac-12 play came along, Thomas' ability went on a freefall.

Thomas only managed to finish the season with 1,535 total yards, far below his 2,235 as a freshmen.

Colt Lyerla

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Lyerla had anything but a terrible season in 2012, but I for one was expecting a little bit more.

With Davis Paulson gone after graduating, I expected Lyerla to have a monster season and possibly make a run for the Mackey Award.

Instead Lyerla only managed 15 more receptions from the 7 he had as a freshmen.

Those 22 receptions were good for 340 yards and six touchdowns.

Rahsaan Vaughn

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Vaughn was expected to fill the hole left by the graduation of Lavasier Tuinei and become the Ducks' premier receiver this season.

Instead, Vaughn rarely ever saw the field and managed only six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, all of which cam in the first three weeks of the season.

I'm very shocked to see Vaughn fall so far down the depth chart behind Keanon Lowe, Bralon Addison and Daryle Hawkins, a former backup quarterback.                                                            

Alejandro Maldonado

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Does anyone need an explanation for this one?

No? Didn't think so,

Dion Jordan

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Wait! Wait! Put down your pitchforks! Put down your torches and let me explain!

Dion Jordan is an elite pass-rusher and will most likely be a first-round selection in April's NFL draft, but all of us were expecting to see just a little bit more from Jordan this season.

Jordan's seven sacks in 2011 is an underachievement considering his capabilities, so hopefully it's understandable why I have him as a disappointment for this year.

Devon Blackmon

Devon Blackmon (12)
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Blackmon was a top-25 prospect when he committed to Oregon, but his extremely brief career with the Ducks was a huge disappointment.

Blackmon redshirted as freshman and was expected to be a big contributor in 2012.

That turned out to be a false prediction, however, as Blackmon only saw the field twice this season and failed to record any stats.

Midway through the season, Blackmon decided to transfer to the University of Washington.