Oregon Football: Why LaMichael James, Ducks Need Win Against Wisconsin Badgers

For those who still don’t know, here’s why LaMichael James has to use his talent to lead the Oregon Ducks past the Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl.

Without a Rose Bowl victory, James will be remembered as a good, maybe even great running back for the Ducks. With a victory, James will be remembered as one of the best Oregon running backs of all time and his career can be regarded as legendary. For every athlete playing in the Rose Bowl, the game will be undeniably important. But LaMichael James has the most to gain—and to lose—when the two teams play the Oregon Ducks on January 2^nd.

James, 22, is among the most elite running backs in the country. There’s a lot to like about LaMichael James. What those of us who have had the fortune to see LaMichael James play have come to realize is that—as an offensive weapon—James can explode at any time. Following the model of Chip Kelly’s offensive scheme, James has now led the Oregon football team to three consecutive conference championships. This year, after returning from an injury suffered in the Cal game, James helped Oregon win the inaugural Pac-12 Championship.

After the victory, I had the pleasure of being on the field with countless other Oregon fans that were also there to witness the crowning of Oregon as conference champions another impressive season from the Oregon Ducks.

“One more year!” fans chanted as James was awarded MVP of the Pac-12 Championship game. “One more year!” they would continue, as a hint of his now famous smile grew on the face of LaMichael James. The entire scene was very surreal, and the experience was undeniably gorgeous for any football fan…especially for fans of the Oregon Ducks. Goosebumps. Goosebumps everywhere, just thinking about what that moment felt like.

On the field, these memories were soon becoming inked into my head’s storehouse, or wherever it is that I hold onto moments in my life that I never want to forget.

The lasting memories of this season ultimately trace back to LaMichael James.

This season never seemed to showcase “that moment” for quarterback Darron Thomas or any of the other offensive players on Oregon. While they each brought their individual moments of triumph and athletic success, they often felt like isolated moments in time rather than a snapshot of an era.

LaMichael James, however, had the opposite effect on fans across the nation this season. When LaMichael James carried the ball, it felt like fans were witnessing an era.

Every time James ran down the field, his success felt like it was supposed to happen. That, it always felt, was the true mark of a special type of football player.

In this season—which could prove to be his final as an Oregon Duck—James emerged as a vocal leader in the Oregon Ducks locker room.

Perhaps more impressive, however, was his ability to lead by example on the field. In my first weekend in Eugene, Oregon played a road game at Arizona. I remember watching in a basement with hundreds of other Oregon students.

James took full authority of the field in that game, and rushed for 288 yards. Against a legitimate Pac-12 rival, James was able to maneuver an average of 12.5 yards per carry while he two touchdowns and a conference record.

The week before, James took a 90-yard rush down the field in a 56-7 victory against Missouri State.

In that game, James averaged 17.0 yards per carry and scored three times. On only 12 carries, he totaled over 200 yards.

Before my first game at Autzen Stadium—a Thursday night showdown against Cal—LaMichael James was riding a continued Heisman candidacy that legitimized his own talents.

I remember watching James look in his best form, rushing for 239 yards on 30 carries. On the field he was a wrecking ball; a force to be reckoned with and the anamorphic representation of a comeback machine.

Everything seemed to be in James’ favor until a defining scare that haunts Oregon fans everyday.

Early in the fourth quarter, James suffered a dislocated elbow that he continues to play on. He was forced to miss two games during the season.

Returning from the injury, James was able to rush for 146 yards (and more impressively, three touchdowns) in his biggest game of the season, a College GameDay broadcast against Stanford.

When LaMichael James plays well, so does the Oregon football team. That’s how this roller coaster of a season has gone from the beginning—from his poor play against LSU until his stellar performance in the conference championship game (219 yards, three touchdowns) against UCLA.

Last week, rumors surfaced that Oregon running back LaMichael James would declare for the NFL. But James came out and quickly denied the rumors, deciding that he would wait until after the Rose Bowl to announce his decision for next season.

I’m a Los Angeles born Duck, living in L.A. for the holidays with my family. On January 2^nd, I will be in attendance as LaMichael James faces the large Wisconsin defense.

If you’re a frequent reader on Bleacher Report, you’ve read plenty of scouting reports and predictions for the game.

For LaMichael, however, the game is much bigger than a “single match” against the Badgers.

After losing to Auburn in the BCS National Championship after a 12-0 regular season in 2010-11, Oregon has much to prove. They tried to legitimize their chances by taking on LSU in the season opener, but once again the SEC defense was too tough for Oregon. With poor performance against the more NFL-style defenses, James’s draft stock does not have him projected to be a first round pick if he were to declare at the end of this season.

LaMichael James and the Oregon Ducks are not unfamiliar with the Rose Bowl. After their first conference championship under Chip Kelly’s leadership, the Oregon Ducks went on to play Ohio State in the 2009-10 season. But even then, the Ducks were unable to come up as victorious. At the end of this season, it is inexpressibly important for the team to not be disappointed at the end of the season.

With the recent emergence of Oregon as a “dynasty” there’s also a new arrogance that is attached with it.

The trophy case, however, has nothing to tout with it. At this point, LaMichael James is hoping to go down as a legend in the culture of Oregon Ducks football. When he leaves, it is his duty to leave a trophy with him to help later generations of fans remember him once he’s long away and out of the university football program.

James has the option to stay or leave at the end of this season. He has already earned his degree, and has already proven his worth as an athlete.

What James has yet to do, however, is win “the big game” for the Oregon Ducks. Regardless of whether or not he leaves for the NFL at the end of this season, I will remember James affectionately and very closely with my freshman year at the school.

The difference, however, lies in his performance against Wisconsin on January 2^nd. I’ll be in attendance, and millions upon millions will be watching his test at home.

If that doesn’t get you excited to see how James will do in the bowl game, then I certainly don’t know what will.

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