You could hear the whispers.
They were soft, barely audible at times, but still cut through the air like an X-Acto knife as reporters and fans alike asked the same question.
“Has LaMichael James lost a step?”
It all started in fall camp, when James arrived having gained close to 20 pounds during the offseason. It was intentional, of course; the running back simply wanted to improve his strength and durability in preparation for another grueling regular season. Presumably, he would be a stronger player while keeping his blistering speed.@@http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/09/oregon_duck_rundown.html@@
Then, the LSU game happened.
James was bottled up for just 54 yards on the ground, and the whispers began to grow in volume.@@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/427778.HTM?ATCLID=205266463&SPSID=3383&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
“He looks slower …”
“Maybe he would have been better without the extra muscle …”
If the fans were frustrated, James was even more upset. He famously told reporters that he was going to “start doing me,” and “be more physical.” If people were going to criticize the weight gain, he was at least going to make defenders feel those 20 extra pounds.
He looked more like himself in the following two games, even rushing for 204 yards against Missouri State, but the questions hadn’t disappeared, and freshman De’Anthony Thomas overshadowed James as “The Next Big Thing.”@@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/428623.htm?ATCLID=205273528&SPSID=3383&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Then, the Arizona game happened.
It was a world-class evisceration: 23 carries for 288 yards, breaking Onterrio Smith’s school record; 363 all-purpose yards, also breaking a Smith record; two touchdowns; untold numbers of Arizona defenders left bruised and breathless in his wake.
It’s a bit of a tired metaphor, but that was LaMichael James’ “Forgot about Dre” game. It was the junior running back serving notice, on the road and in an exceedingly hostile environment, that he hasn’t gone anywhere and might just be even better than ever.
There was a moment in the third quarter of Saturday’s 56-31 victory that seemed to perfectly encapsulate James’ evolution into a complete running back.
He took the ball on a handoff from Darron Thomas, sweeping to the left side of the field. Arizona safety Robert Golden came up to meet him at the line of scrimmage, but James countered with a lightning-quick cut to the inside. Golden was beaten, left grasping at air before falling to the ground. All of a sudden, James was in the open field.@@http://www.arizonawildcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/ariz-m-footbl-mtt.html@@
He sprinted, past the 50, the 40, all the way to the 30 before cornerback Trevin Wade cut him off near the sideline. Not quite finished humiliating the Arizona defense, James lowered his head and plowed through Wade, stepping out of bounds in the process but never actually hitting the ground. What could have been nothing ended up as a 31-yard rush that eventually led to a Darron Thomas touchdown run.
“That’s a one-yard gain if LaMichael James isn’t as special a player as he is,” ESPN analyst Brock Huard gushed.@@http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/08/31/brock-huard/@@
He wasn’t whispering, and neither is anyone else at this point. No longer can you point to an FCS team as the primary reason for James’ resurgence. Arizona, to be clear, is an awful defensive team, but it’s still a part of the Pac-12, and 288 yards against anyone is enough to shut the doubters up.
I was one of them. Though I never bought the notion that James would be profoundly impacted by the weight gain, the LSU game corrupted my mind just like everyone else. That, coupled with De’Anthony Thomas’ electrifying cuts in the open field, caused me to, well, forget about James.
For me, and presumably all of the other doubters out there, James had a message. At the end of the aforementioned 31-yard run, he shook his head and wagged his index finger, Dikembe Mutumbo-style.
He’s pretty good, in case you forgot.