Oregon Football: Impact of LaMichael James' Injury on the Team

Heisman candidate running back LaMichael James was injured last week during a victory over the California Golden Bears. Well, it appears that the Oregon Ducks fans have to continue to hold their breath.

James was seen at the Oregon practice today in his uniform but he was also wearing a cast on his arm.

That is not a good sign for Oregon, as it may mean he will be missing some time, including this week's big matchup against Arizona State.

Here is the impact that the James injury will have on the Oregon Ducks if he misses significant time.

(It is important to know that James is still listed as questionable and may or may not miss any time)

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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Who Plays Running Back?

Junior running back Kenjon Barner is more than capable of being the starter for the Ducks. He has the breakaway speed and, much like James, has the big play ability, as you saw last week in his 68-yard touchdown run against California. 

The speedster freshman running back De'Anthony Thomas should see a lot more action with James out. Thomas is averaging 7.6 yards per touch and is the best receiver out of all of them with 17 receptions. He is so versatile and his contribution to this offense should increase a ton if James is out.

It's nearly impossible to replace a running back like LaMichael James, but the Ducks have the depth at the position to get by until he gets healthy.  

More Pressure on Darron Thomas

We've all seen what happens when Darron Thomas doesn't have LaMichael James next to him. All you have to do is watch the game against LSU. He looks lost.

The Ducks passing game averages 227 yards a game, which is decent, but can go long periods of time without any consistency.

The Ducks have no big play No.1 receivers on this team and two of the top three reception leaders are running backs.

Without LaMichael James in the lineup, it will require Thomas to do a lot more for this offense because defenses will dare him to throw the ball.

We should find out soon if he is up to the challenge.

Chances of Winning the Pac-12 Decrease

LaMichael James said from the beginning that this was not a season ending injury, but at this point nobody knows for sure. Let's assume he misses the remainder of the season or even a month or so. 

The Ducks will probably have no chance of winning the Pac-12.

Oregon is already behind Stanford in the North division and they don't have a real test until they play the Cardinal in November. Do the Ducks stand a chance without LaMichael James in the lineup? It was already going to be a tough game as it is.

Even this week, the Ducks have a tough matchup against Arizona State.

To have a chance at the Pac-12 title, the Ducks will probably have to run the table. That is going to be difficult if LaMichael James misses significant time due to his elbow injury.