Oregon Football: De'Anthony Thomas and the 7 Most Explosive Players for Oregon

Despite the loss vs. LSU, Oregon still has the most explosive offense in college football. Offensive guru Chip Kelly is still calling the plays for Oregon, and expect the offense to be back in full swing the rest of this year. 

We all know the most explosive player on Oregon is Doak Walker Award winner LaMichael James, but there's only so much that he can do by himself. James is the best running back in the nation, but as seen in 2010, he carried the ball too often, and as a result began to wear down towards the end of the season. 

If Oregon is to be successful in 2011, Chip Kelly is going to have to work other players into the mix to keep LaMchael James fresh. As seen vs LSU, it's become apparent that true freshman running back De'Anthony Thomas is going to have a big role in the offense this year, but who else will be making plays this year for the Ducks?

Here's the seven most explosive players on the Duck roster:

7. Devon Blackmon

While he's yet to step on the field for the Ducks, true freshman wide receiver Devon Blackmon can flat out fly. He runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and is one of the most explosive players with the ball in his hands. Although he's a wide receiver, in high school his coach played him at quarterback so the ball would always be in his hands.

With the loss of the highly productive Jeff Maehl and always sure-handed Drew Davis from last year, Chip Kelly is looking for suitable replacements at wide receiver.

Against LSU, it was Justin Hoffman and Will Murphy who got playing time, but Devon Blackmon is too good to keep off the field. Look for him to get playing time and work his way into the rotation alongside returning starters Josh Huff and Lavasier Tuinei.

6. Josh Huff

As a true freshman last year, the explosive and versatile Josh Huff had 19 receptions for 303 yards and ran for another 214 on 12 carries, scoring five touchdowns. He essentially served as an all-purpose man, doing whatever Chip Kelly asked of him. His most notable play was an 85 yard explosion against Arizona that later proved to be the winning score.

This year, the coaching staff is looking for Huff to step up and establish himself as a big target for Darron Thomas downfield.

While Huff got a few carries last year, he probably won't get any this year due to a loaded backfield. But he's expected to be the number two receiver behind Lavasier Tuinei, so watch out for Josh Huff this year.

5. De'Anthony Thomas

When De'Anthony Thomas fumbled for the first time against LSU, there's a reason why Chip Kelly put him back in the game the very next play. Yes, he fumbled again, but Thomas is a flat out game-breaker. Touted as the No. 3 recruit in the entire nation last year, Thomas has been called the "best player in the Ducks preseason camp" by several sports writers, not to mention drawing comparisons to Reggie Bush.

Many Oregon fans are mad at Thomas for his costly fumbles against LSU, but mark my words, those same fans will be buying De'Anthony Thomas jerseys in a few weeks. Despite the fumbles, he still had six catches for 47 yards, flashing little bits of his brilliance in picking up key first downs.

Thomas is an explosion waiting to happen, and it's not if, but when Thomas makes his burst onto the college football scene this season. 

4. Kenjon Barner

Kenjon Barner, the talented backup to LaMichael James, is the best backup running back in college football. He's arguably just as good as James, and despite fewer touches, actually averaged more yards per carry last year. It's safe to say he would be starting on 95 percent of teams nationwide. 

But what does Barner bring to the table? He's explosively fast, is on the Oregon track team, and can not only burst to the outside but can power his way up the middle too. He ran for 551 yards on only 91 carries last year and six TDs.

He's also one of the most dangerous punt return men in the nation, except for the fact that he doesn't start there either, thanks to Cliff Harris. 

Barner can catch passes extremely well out of the backfield too, and he's one of the best all-purpose men in the nation. Look for Chip Kelly to get Barner and James on the field at the same time, either in two-back sets or put Barner in the slot as a wide receiver.

Either way, Barner will be featured a lot in the Duck offense this year, ready to explode every time he touches the ball. 

3. Cliff Harris

The Oregon football team prides itself on being the fastest team in the nation, from how they practice to how fast they run off plays in games. Cliff Harris is no exception to that, who's currently suspended for driving 119 MPH. 

All jokes aside though, Harris is an explosive lock-down corner. Generally speaking the term explosive is reserved for offensive players, but Cliff Harris is explosive on defense. Not only does he shut down the other team's best receiver on a regular basis, but Harris is a threat to turn any ball thrown his way into a pick-six. 

Harris is also a First-Team All American punt returner this year. His punt return TD vs Cal last year gave the Ducks life when the offense was shaky, and he might be given some plays on offense if it weren't for the surplus of talent the Ducks have. 

2. Darron Thomas

The first five players on this list already make up an extremely dangerous group, but that's not even including the starting backfield tandem for Oregon.

Darron Thomas doesn't need an explanation as to who he is. Last year, he was the trigger man behind the most explosive in college football. He passed for 2,881 yards, had a 30-9 TD-INT ratio, and also ran for 486 yards on 93 carries. While all else failed for Oregon in the BCS championship game, Thomas passed for 363 yards and despite loosing, he powered the Ducks to an improbable late-game tie. 

In a way, Thomas is an extension of Chip Kelly on the field. During games Chip Kelly can be seen on the sidelines jumping up and down to snap the ball faster, and Thomas mimics Kelly on the field in ensuring the ball is snapped every 13 seconds.

Only being a junior, Thomas has a lot more explosive plays left in his career, and the scary things is he's still getting better. 

1. LaMichael James

The 2010 Doak Walker Award winner LaMichael James is not only the most explosive player on the Ducks, but in all of college football as well. 

In 2009, James rushed for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 6.7 yards per carry.

In 2010, James ran for 1,731 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Just how explosive is James? In 2010, he had a run of 30 or more yards in all but four games. 

Not only can James get to the outside, but he's gained 20 pounds of muscle this offseason, so there's nothing the most explosive player in college football can't do.