Now that Jonathan Stewart is running off to the NFL, Oregon will be hard pressed to replace his production and contribution to the offense.
Stewart’s 1,722 rushing yards during the 2007 season was the best all-time mark at Oregon and his 132.5-yard average rushing yards per game last season trails only Reuben Droughns’ 164.8 average set in 1998. And after being the starter for only two seasons, and suffering from nagging injuries for good portion of his career, Stewart’s 2,891 yards place him second among Oregon’s all-time running backs for a career. His 5.6 yards per carry was the best among the leading rushers.
Those numbers, along with Stewart’s physical stats, 5-feet-11-inches, 230-some pounds and a self-proclaimed 4.3-second 40-yard dash, are likely to guarantee him a first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft despite the depth of this year’s running back class that includes seven other talented juniors.
Stewart, though, ranks as the third-best running back according to Scouts Inc, behind the Arkansas duo of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
Oregon running backs coach Gary Campbell said that Stewart reminds him of former Heisman Trophy winner and Houston Oilers standout Earl Campbell, who ran for 9,407 yards and 4.3-yard average during his eight-year career in the NFL before retiring at age 30.
“I’ve never told him that,” Gary Campbell said. “I saw some acceleration from him (in the Sun Bowl) that I’ve never seen before. So I don’t know a guy, that I’ve seen in the NFL, who showed on those few plays that kind of acceleration. That lets me know he’s going to that next level, to that elite status.”
The Ducks can’t replace that kind of talent, but they can try to replace Stewart’s numbers with a running back pool that still runs deep with talent.
Junior Jeremiah Johnson received a great deal of carries before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game of the season. Johnson, who eluded tacklers with a series of jukes and stiff arms, averaged over six yards per carry in each of his three seasons at Oregon, but his recovery from knee surgery is paramount to his success next season. His running ability revolves around being able to plant his feet and change direction quickly. If his knee isn’t completely healthy, he may not be the same runner people are used to seeing.
Fortunately for Oregon, sophomore Andre Crenshaw proved to be a reliable runner once Johnson went down. His ability mimicked Johnson’s, as Crenshaw proved to be more than just a third-string running back.
Of course, part of the reason for Johnson and Crenshaw’s success was how much their running styles differentiated from Stewart’s. They also acted as receivers more than Stewart did.
So what did the Oregon coaches do? They sought out a veteran running back whose size was nearly identical to Stewart’s and a running style that would punish oncoming defenders.
Meet LaGarrette Blount, a running back from East Mississippi Community College, who signed with Oregon in December and whose running style has been compared to former USC running back LenDale White. Oregon also has sophomore Remene Alston and freshman Charles Neal in reserve and a verbal commitment from high school running back Kenjon Barner from Riverside, Calif.
How the Ducks combine the various talents to replace Stewart will be up in the air until the team starts practicing again.
“That’s hard to say right now, we’ll see what happens in the spring,” Campbell said. “Obviously we’re recruiting some more backs and hope to have one of them in here by spring and we’ll go from there. Obviously Jeremiah won’t be able to go full blow in the spring, so Crenshaw will take on a bigger role.”
[email protected]
Sports copy editor Andrew Greif contributed to this story