DALLAS, Texas – The mood surrounding Darren Carrington’s suspension after testing positive for marijuana in an NCAA ran drug test two days before the inaugural College Football Playoff title game was as expected. Teammates and coaches of Oregon were both understandably disappointed that their standout redshirt freshman wideout won’t be joining them on the sidelines this Monday.
“I’ve been telling everybody that it was a big blow for all of us,” redshirt sophomore receiver Chance Allen said. “But as a team, as a receiving crew, we got a lot of depth on this team and we have a lot of people that have hidden talents, so we’re going to be alright. Thank God we got a great quarterback.”
They were confident however, in their remaining wideouts that will now have to fill the void the best they can. Oregon’s prided themselves on exemplifying a ‘next man up’ mentality since Chip Kelly first took over the program in 2009 and it’s the very approach they will be using once more to try and dissolve the impact of this loss.
“For him, it’s disappointing, but it will not be a distraction,” Head Coach Mark Helfrich said. “We’ll ride.”
Losing an X-Factor
You saw it against Florida State in the 101^st Rose Bowl. You’ve seen it in the past few games. Carrington was Oregon’s leading receiver, and more importantly, their best deep threat not named Devon Allen, who will also be missing the game against Ohio State after suffering an undisclosed knee injury in the opening kickoff against the Seminoles.
Without Carrington and Allen, the Ducks lose 1,388 combined receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. They also lose, arguably, their two best deep threats.
Said junior running back Byron Marshall on having to replace Carrington: “We all put enough pressure on ourselves whether he’s (Carrington) here or not, so we still want to go out there and make plays and be a game changer.”
Carrington, who unsuccessfully appealed the suspension, resulting in his ineligibility, was a useful weapon for the Ducks as of late, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t replaceable.
From Oregon’s perspective, things won’t change, even without Allen and Carrington. If anything, more players, who may have not seen the field previously – Chance Allen, redshirt junior receiver B.J. Kelly – will get more reps, allowing their current schemes and looks to remain intact.
“As a team, we’re just going to do what we’ve been doing all year,” Devon Allen said. “A lot of people have played receiver, so I don’t really think there’s going to be a drop off.”
Overcoming injuries
The Ducks have been victims of a plethora of injuries and now an untimely suspension.
What’s their next move?
To look towards other players like Marshall, freshman Charles Nelson and redshirt sophomore Dwayne Stanford, all capable receivers who will have no other choice but to move forward and fill the void.
“It’s as much pressure as I allow to get to me,” Stanford said regarding a potential shift in focus towards him. “If I just stay within myself and then just do what I do and have confidence in myself, I’ll be just fine.”
There have been some rumblings about junior Bralon Addison possibly making a return in the title game – similar to Percy Harvin in last year’s Super Bowl – but today, it was confirmed that neither he nor wide receivers coach Matt Lubick will likely be exploring that option.
“If the team needed me I would,” Addison said. “But like I said, we’ve been having guys step up each week, so they might not need me.”
“His rehab is coming along great,” Lubick said. “He’s going to be 100 percent in the spring, but he’s just not there. I don’t think that would be a smart decision to blow a year on one game, especially if you’re not 150 percent.”
Working with what you have
As the Ducks step foot into AT&T Stadium for one of the biggest games in program history, they will undoubtedly be short-handed. Not disadvantaged per say, but surely less than 100 percent.
The Ducks have managed to sustain injuries suffered to Addison and junior tight end Pharaoh Brown up until this point. They’re going to have to do it once more with Carrington’s absence if they want to exit as the inaugural College Football Playoff champions.
Addison said after the Rose Bowl win that the Ducks may not need him anymore, that other players had stepped up big in his absence. We’ll see if that’s the case with Carrington on Monday.
“We’re blessed to have a ton of depth there,” Lubick said. “It’s actually the healthiest we’ve been in awhile and so the starting guys have not changed. We feel very excited about where we are and the guys we’re going to play Monday night.”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim