When Oregon blitzed through Colorado last Saturday in Boulder, Darron Thomas and LaMichael James once again found themselves side by side. This time, though, as the offense put on yet another show with 45 points@@schedule@@, the Texas natives were companions not on the field, but on the sideline.
With Washington State coming into town on Saturday, the statuses of James and Thomas still remain unclear. Thomas claims that his injured left knee is “100 percent,” while James has made significant progress in healing a dislocated right arm. Both dressed last Saturday and claimed to be ready to play in an emergency.
Such a situation never occurred against an overmatched Colorado team, and Oregon faces another struggling opponent this week. With redshirt freshman quarterback Bryan Bennett and junior running back Kenjon Barner hardly missing a beat in place of Thomas and James, head coach Chip Kelly has plenty of leeway to err on the side of caution. Not that he’s willing to divulge any of his approach.
“We haven’t talked about that,” Kelly said when asked about Thomas and James. “We’re not going to talk about that.”
Thomas, for his part, was a bit more open when asked about his status.
“Still ready to go,” Thomas said. “I was ready to go last week. Like I said, it was a game-time decision (against Colorado). It was nothing I knew Monday or Tuesday that I wasn’t going to be playing, it was how was I going to feel Saturday before the game?”
With another week of practice and healing under his belt, Thomas expects to start against the Cougars on Saturday. The final verdict, according to the junior signal-caller, will be decided based on how his knee feels on Saturday and what the team doctor recommends. If the past is any indicator, Thomas will do whatever it takes to join the Ducks on the field.
“Darron is one of the tougher kids I’ve ever been around,” Kelly said. “He’s been nicked and bruised a lot since he’s been here, but he’s always persevered and found a way through it.”
James, too, is lauded for his toughness, though his status for Saturday appears to be even murkier. Appearing in front of the media on Tuesday, James gave reporters a visual confirmation of improvement, flexing the injured arm back and forth.
“I’ve been cradling the ball for about two weeks now,” James said. “And that’s been going really well for me and have to just wait and see what happens when I get it.”
Just when that might be, and against whom, is unclear. James has participated freely in practice but deferred to the coaching staff when asked about returning to the field.
“You’re going to have to ask Coach Kelly,” James said. “If he puts me in, he puts me in.”
Otherwise, James is doing what he can to stay involved. In particular, he has kept an eye on Thomas to make sure the quarterback doesn’t rush back into the fray.
“I think LaMike’s been helping me out,” Thomas said. “Leaning on me, trying to tell me to calm down, don’t hurt myself. But I think we’re both doing a great job of leading the team from the sideline.”
Whether they will be leading from the huddle or the sideline on Saturday remains, as Kelly likes to say, a day-to-day issue.
With Washington State in town, statuses of James and Thomas unclear
Daily Emerald
October 27, 2011
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