Rose Bowl 2012: 4 Underclassmen That Must Step Up for Oregon

After Oregon crushed UCLA 49-31 to win the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game, the Ducks will travel to Pasadena to face off with Wisconsin in the 98th Rose Bowl. 

LaMichael James is the undisputed star player of the Ducks, but the entire Oregon roster is filled with men that can change the game in an instant.  Among these athletes is true freshman running back De'Anthony Thomas, who also happens to be the team's leading receiver. 

Thomas is just one of many underclassmen that helped Oregon win the Pac-12 crown.  In this slideshow, I will rank the five freshmen and sophomores on the Ducks that must step up in order for their team to earn a victory in the Rose Bowl.   

De'Anthony Thomas

One of the top recruits in the country from a year ago, De'Anthony Thomas has already emerged into a valuable piece of the Ducks football team during his short time in Eugene.

Given the nickname "Black Mamba" by Snoop Dogg as a child, Thomas is a multi-talented athlete and one of the fastest players in the country. 

As a running back, he has accumulated 440 yards on the ground and scored five touchdowns.  He is much more dangerous as a receiver, where he has caught 42 passes for 571 yards and nine scores.  Thomas has even returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season.

In order for the Ducks to win the Rose Bowl, the "Black Mamba" must be efficient enough for LaMichael James to have time to rest.  If he can avoid dropping the ball, something he has done many times throughout the season, Thomas has the ability to carry the load for the Oregon offense.   

Josh Huff

Last year as a true freshman, Josh Huff played a number of different roles in helping Oregon reach the national title.  

After battling through injuries during the early parts of this season, Huff has emerged into one of Darron Thomas' favorite targets of late.  This receiver had over 50 yards receiving in four of the Ducks' last five games and scored a key touchdown against Stanford. 

As the team's number-one receiver, Lavasier Tuinei has been very unreliable of late. Huff will have to use his stellar speed to get past the Wisconsin defense in the Rose Bowl. 

He has shown that he can do wonders when he has the ball in his hands, so if the Ducks can get Josh Huff worked into the game, LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner can be much more efficient.   

Alejandro Maldonado

Many people have put all of the blame on Alejandro Maldonado for losing the game to USC because he missed a last-second field goal from 37 yards away, but let's not forget that LaMichael James fumbled the ball in the red zone and Jackson Rice had a punt blocked. 

Even though the Ducks have only attempted 13 field goals the entire season and often try for two on their extra-point chances, Maldanado must be on his A game when his team meets up with Wisconsin.

When the Ducks went to the Rose Bowl in 2010, a Morgan Flint-missed field goal ended their chances against Ohio State. 

Chip Kelly is not afraid to send out his offense on fourth down no matter how far away the first down markers are, but Oregon fans should not worry if he gives Maldanado a chance, as he as missed just one kick from within 40 yards this entire season. 

Terrance Mitchell

Cliff Harris was supposed to carry the load for the Ducks in the defensive backfield, but a number of suspensions have left the All-American off the roster.  Therefore, Oregon has had to rely on a number of underclassmen to stop opposing wide receivers. 

One of those players is freshman Terrance Mitchell.  While he does not have the speed or the amazing statistics that Harris had a year ago, Mitchell has continued to develop throughout the season.

After being eaten up by Jarrett Lee and the LSU receiving corps in the first game of his college career, he has slightly improved game by game.  In fact, Mitchell made an acrobatic interception in the Pac-12 title game. 

Russell Wilson was one of the best quarterbacks in the country this year and a lot of that had to do with the play of his top targets, Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis.  If Mitchell can stay glued to whomever Nick Aliotti assigns him, then he could give the Badgers' passing game a lot of trouble and make things harder for Montee Ball in the process.