The road to a third-straight Pac-12 Conference championship goes through the Trojans of USC this week, an all-too-familiar foe for Oregon’s true freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas.@@CE@@
Tabbed as the best player to come out of the Los Angeles area in recent memory, Thomas — who many expected to be wearing Trojan red and gold this season — will instead face the team he grew up watching. The reasons for Thomas’ change of heart late in the recruiting process were never crystal clear, though it’s believed he felt USC took him for granted late in his senior year at Crenshaw High School.
On Saturday, Thomas and the No. 4 Oregon Ducks@@http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fbs@@ welcome his hometown Trojans into Autzen Stadium with the opportunity to host the inaugural Pac-12 title game on the line. Meanwhile, USC faces the end of its season next week at home against UCLA,@@http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/usc-m-footbl-body.html@@ without the chance to compete in a bowl game or conference title game due to NCAA sanctions.
“Once you’re top-10 in the country, you’ve kind of got that target on you,” Oregon offensive tackle Darrion Weems@@roster: http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=233&SPSID=3378@@ said. “Every week you’re gonna get every team’s best shot.”
A pair of Thomas’ high school teammates, redshirt freshman linebacker Hayes Pullard@@usc roster: http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/usc-m-footbl-mtt.html@@ and true freshman offensive guard Marcus Martin,@@see previous@@ are among the numerous Los Angeles natives awaiting the speedy running back’s return. But like most opponents this season, it’s unlikely they’ll even be able to catch him.
In his first 10 games, Thomas has tallied 1,497 all-purpose yards@@cumulative stats: http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205266631@@ (423 receiving, 366 rushing and 656 returning) with 13 touchdowns (seven receiving, six rushing and one 93-yard kickoff return)@@see previous@@ to his credit. He’s been nothing short of the human highlight reel that Oregon fans came to love with Cliff Harris@@CE@@ last season, but is much smarter with the ball in his hands.
“He’s a real tough, physical kid,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly@@CE@@ said. “A lot of people were recruiting him as a defensive back because of that physicality. He’s really a fearless competitor.”
He’s a competitor with the short-term memory that is often a necessity early in a college football career. A pair of costly fumbles in the season opener against LSU didn’t deter the freshman, who went eight-straight games without putting the ball on the turf before a freak play against Stanford last weekend.
Stanford’s Delano Howell, with a cast on his hand, jarred the ball loose from Thomas moments before he broke into daylight, and Stanford quickly recovered.
“I think after something like that happens (against LSU), and then it doesn’t happen again for a while, you start to kind of revert back to your old habits,” Oregon running backs coach Gary Campbell@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=22688@@ said. “So he kind of got a little careless with the ball.”
On the ensuing possession, with a fourth-and-7 opportunity from the Stanford 41, Thomas caught a screen pass in the flat and darted down the right sideline for an easy score thanks to great downfield blocking by tight end David Paulson.@@roster@@
And just like that, Thomas had redeemed himself in the blink of an eye.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” junior LaMichael James said, “and Coach Kelly puts him in situations to excel on the football field.”
The three-headed monster of Thomas, James and Kenjon Barner@@CE@@ has surely been a key focus for Monte Kiffin’s@@http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/kiffin_monte00.html@@ defense this week. Like Oregon, the Trojans have several underclassmen in the starting lineup, with Hayes and fellow redshirt freshman linebacker Dion Bailey@@http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bailey_dion00.html@@ leading the team with 58 and 69 tackles, respectively.@@usc stats: http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND@@
Sophomore defensive backs T.J. McDonald (49 tackles)@@see previous@@ and Nickell Robey (48)@@see previous@@ are third and fourth on that list, and each has a pair of interceptions for a pass defense that allows more than 263 yards per game through the air.@@see previous@@
James said USC’s speed to the ball is a major strength defensively, and Weems added that this is probably the most physical front seven the Ducks have seen since LSU.
“You never know who’s going to get the ball in our offense,” James said. “We really do a great job working with each other when we don’t have the ball and that’s a big key in this offense.”
De’Anthony Thomas ready for matchup with USC
Daily Emerald
November 17, 2011
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