Tag: Noah Whittington

Jordan James is running with anger, and Dan Lanning approves

“I think Jordan is running like an angry guy, which is exactly how you want your running back to run.”

After two seasons of Bucky Irving as the top dog in the Oregon Ducks running back room, Oregon will have a new leader at RB in 2024. Oregon has a deep crop of talented backs on the roster, but Jordan James, a junior, is the heavy favorite to be the Ducks’ top running back next fall.

In his first two seasons, James showed he is an elite running back, despite a low volume of touches. In 2023, James played in all 14 Ducks’ games, rushing for 759 yards and 11 TDs, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

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After Oregon’s ninth spring practice on Tuesday, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning was asked about how James has developed this spring, now that he’ll likely be sliding into the top RB spot.

“I think Jordan is running like an angry guy, which is exactly how you want your running back to run,” Lanning said after practice on Tuesday. “Right, he’s out here and has really improved this spring.”

Part of Oregon’s offensive identity in the Lanning era has been throwing to the RBs out of the backfield, letting them use their elusiveness to create big gains in open space. It’s an area where Irving excelled and a skill Lanning thinks James has improved a lot this offseason.

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“I’ve seen him do more out of the backfield with his hands,” Lanning said. “He has a better understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish on the field. So really proud of Jordan’s development and where he’s at.”

Also returning at running back for Oregon is Noah Whittington, who suffered a season-ending injury last September against Colorado. In 2022 — Whittington’s first season as a Duck — he split carries with Irving, rushing for 779 yards on 5.6 yards per carry. I still expect James to be the lead back for Oregon this fall, but don’t sleep on Whittington as a second option.

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Spring Position Preview: Jordan James, Noah Whittington usher in post-Bucky Irving era

Bucky Irving leaves big shoes to fill in Eugene, but Jordan James and Noah Whittington are more than capable of getting the job done.

After a couple of long off-season months, the grass is starting to grow and trees are getting ready to bloom. Spring is coming in Eugene, and with it comes the long-awaited return of football for the Oregon Ducks. A lot will look different in this new year for Dan Lanning and his team, with several of last year’s top players moving onto the NFL, including guys like Bo Nix, Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Brandon Dorlus. All of that is not to mention the fact that the Ducks are joining the Big Ten, and have a new-look conference to get used to on top of a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff to strive for. 

It’s safe to say that there are a lot of things to talk about going into this spring season, and a lot of storylines to discuss. To get things started, we want to give a position-by-position breakdown of Oregon’s current roster, getting readers up to date on which players left, which players are returning, and what the overall outlook is going into the spring. So far, we’ve looked at the quarterbacks, and now we’ll examine the Ducks’ running back room.

One of the hallmarks of Oregon football has been the presence of a reliable rushing attack, and that hasn’t changed during Dan Lanning’s tenure as head coach of the Ducks. In his two years as coach, one or more running backs have averaged more than six yards per carry. That consistency has opened up the rest of Oregon’s offense, which led to the Ducks scoring 44.2 points per game in 2023.

The most reliable member of Oregon’s running back room during that time was Bucky Irving, who is now headed to the NFL after two seasons in Eugene. Irving is projected as a mid-round pick, and whichever team drafts him will get an elite rusher, as well as an elite receiver out of the backfield. Trying to replace him will be a tough task for Oregon, but they have enough talent already on their depth chart to feel comfortable with their 2024 RB room.

Below is a breakdown of every loss and addition to the Ducks RB room, as well as a look at each returning player. I also dive into the most compelling storylines pertinent to the Ducks’ running backs and give an overall outlook for the position in 2024.

Injury Report: Oregon’s CB depth could be tested in rematch vs. Washington

The injury report for Oregon is relatively short, but could be potentially impactful on Friday vs. Washington.

Considering it’s just about December and conference championship time in college football, it’s a minor miracle the injury list isn’t a mile long.

Both Oregon and Washington head into the Pac-12 title game and the second contest between the two teams relatively healthy. The Huskies look to have almost everyone available and while a few players are uncertain for Oregon, the list of ailments is relatively short.

Truth be told, that’s exactly how both teams want it. You never want to have an injury excuse for the loser of a game such as this. Each team wants the other as healthy as humanly possible and leaves it all out on the field.

Here is the Duck injury report:

What loss of Noah Whittington means for Bucky Irving, Oregon RB rotation and rest of the Ducks

Noah Whittington is out for the year. What does that mean for Bucky Irving, Jordan James, Dante Dowdell, and Jayden Limar? Let’s examine further…

The unfortunate news came on Wednesday morning that the Oregon Ducks are not expecting running back Noah Whittington to return this season after suffering an apparent knee injury in the Week 4 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.

In a second-half run, Whitting went down and appeared to have his left leg rolled up on by a defender. The extent of the injury has not been made clear, but I’ve been told it is a knee injury, not an ankle injury, as was previously suspected.

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Regardless of the location of the injury, it is clear the Ducks will have to go forward in the season without one of their top three running backs, a member of the trio that has been among the best in the conference thus far in 2023.

While it is a major loss, there are some important notes to make about the injury, and what it means for both Whittington and the Ducks going forward. Here are some of my biggest notes on the matter:

Oregon RB Noah Whittington expected to be out for year

BREAKING: Oregon RB Noah Whittington expected to be out for year

Since Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington went down with an apparent leg injury in the second half of a Week 4 win over the Colorado Buffaloes, there was a fear that much, if not all, of his 2023 season could be in jeopardy.

According to head coach Dan Lanning, Whittington is now expected to miss the remainder of the season due to that leg injury.

Lanning told media members after the game that Whittington was expected “to be down for a bit” with his injury, but it wasn’t clear at that time where the ailment was located in Whittington’s left leg or the severity of the injury. You can see in this video that it appears the injury came after he was rolled up on during a tackle in the second half vs. Colorado.

While the season-ending injury is a massive bummer for Whittington, who was averaging 75 total yards per game and had 2 touchdowns  the season, he does have eligibility remaining. Since Whittington played in only four games this season, he should be able to redshirt. Even without a redshirt season, Whittington would still have one year of eligibility remaining, should he want to come back to Eugene in 2024.

Going forward, it looks as if the Ducks will need to rely heavily on Bucky Irving and Jordan James. They are two of the best RBs in the Pac-12, and Lanning compares the duo favorably to the best in the nation.

Oregon also has a tandem of true freshmen: Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell, who have the ability to step up when called upon going forward.

Injury Report: Pair of new Ducks could make Oregon debuts vs. Stanford

Injury Report: Pair of new Ducks could make Oregon debuts vs. Stanford

Considering Oregon is preparing to play its fifth game of the season, the injury list has been quite small, but it grew after last week’s 42-6 win over Colorado.

Fortunately, the injuries are still few and the Ducks should be able to overcome them, especially since they’re playing Stanford and a bye week is coming.

Oregon needs to come out of Palo Alto with not only a win, but also a smaller injury list. The Ducks will have two weeks to heal and prepare with a huge matchup with Washington.

The injury list is still very manageable for the Ducks, and they’ll have their little web toes crossed it remains that way Sunday morning. Here’s the list of banged-up Ducks heading into the game with the Cardinal.

Dan Lanning opens up about Noah Whittington, RB rotation for Ducks going forward

Dan Lanning opens up about Noah Whittington, RB rotation for Ducks going forward

Overall, last Saturday was a very positive day for the Oregon Ducks and their fans. Beating No. 19 Colorado seemed to mean a little bit more after all the hype surrounding Deion Sanders and the newfangled Buffaloes. The Ducks came out firing, didn’t slow down, and beat the Buffs 42-6.

However, on such a bright day for the team, there was a dark spot. On an outside run toward the Oregon sideline, RB Noah Whittington suffered an injury to his lower left leg after being brought down by multiple Colorado defenders. He was taken to the sideline, received some immediate treatment, and then was carted off the field. Head coach Dan Lanning said after the game that Whittington will be out “for a bit” and that everyone should “say a prayer for him.”

On Monday night, during Lanning’s weekly press conference, the subject of Whittington and the mindset of Oregon’s RB group going forward came up, and Lanning had this to say:

“Well, first they hurt for Noah because they know this guy is a guy that steps on the field every single day and he works his tail off,” Lanning said. “He might not say a word. We talked about guys that talk with their pads, that’s Noah. He’s tough. This guy’s from Peach County. Anybody that hasn’t been there wouldn’t know, but if you’ve been there you realize what that means. So those guys hurt for him. But they also know again, ‘Next guy up, how am I going to take advantage of this opportunity to make sure I don’t let our team down in his absence?’ We’re going to miss Noah, you don’t just replace a Noah with another player, and especially his demeanor and his work ethic. But we’ve got some great backs in that room that are ready to fill those shoes.”

The question that prompted that answer was about the mindset of the rest of the RBs as they look toward Stanford, but the first thing Lanning mentioned is how they’re hurting for Noah. His whole answer gives the impression that losing Noah Whittington means a lot more to this team than just losing an RB for a few weeks. Lanning talking about his character along with his hometown, shows how much he and the rest of the team care about Whittington. Overall, it seems that Noah Whittington is so beloved in the Oregon locker room that losing him hurts everyone a little extra.

When asked about how many RBs and which RBs will be used in Whittington’s absence Lanning had this to say:

“It takes what it takes, right? We’re gonna play as many guys that can play winning football for us and play at a high level, and we’re fortunate when we’re one of the teams in the league that are fortunate to have great backs,” Lanning said. “So I’m really pleased with the guys that we have in that room. I know we can get it done with the guys in that room. We’ll see how people’s role will grow in the next few weeks as we adapt and adjust based on that.”

Hopefully, Noah Whittington will be back soon, because he clearly means a lot to this team.

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Dan Lanning offers injury update on RB Noah Whittington

Dan Lanning offers injury update on RB Noah Whittington.

It’s a mild damper after Oregon’s big 42-6 win over Colorado.

Duck head coach Dan Lanning announced that running back Noah Whittington suffered an injury and he’ll be out for a while.

“I think Noah is going to be down for a bit,” he said. ” I want everyone to say a prayer for him. He is healthy, he is okay. I don’t know if we will have him here for the next few weeks.”

Whittington went down late in the third quarter with an apparent ankle injury. Lanning didn’t go into specifics on the injury, however.

In Whittington’s absence, expect tailback Jordan James to get more carries beyond his usual goal line carries.

Oregon has a game next week at Stanford and then a bye before going to Washington Oct. 14. The Ducks can only hope Whittington can be ready in time for the Huskies.

Oregon’s running back coach Carlos Locklyn named as a top up-and-coming coach

Oregon’s running back coach Carlos Locklyn named as a top up-and-coming coach

It’s easy to forget that when Oregon hired Dan Lanning, the Ducks not only hired him for his coaching abilities but also his ability to hire the right assistants in order to take the program where everyone wants it to go.

So far, so good.

Oregon has some of the best assistants in the country with their coaching talents and their skills in recruiting. One of those assistants, running back coach Carlos Locklyn, has stood out. According to On3, Locklyn has been named as a rising star in the college football coaching ranks. This is what writer Matt Zenitz had to say about Locklyn.

Locklyn was hired by the Ducks after one year as the running backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2021. Led by Locklyn, Oregon was the only school in the Pac-12 last season to have two running backs with more than 775 rushing yards. His top two backs, Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington, were also just two of eight Pac-12 running backs to average more than six yards per carry in conference games.

Oregon is lucky to have both Irving and Whittington back for 2023 for a repeat performance. Locklyn was also instrumental is getting two of the top prep running backs, Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar, to come to Eugene and now the Ducks’ running back room is one of the top tailback groups around.

Unfortunately, one of the downfalls of having great assistants is that they won’t be assistants for long as they will eventually be hired to run their own program one day.

Ironically, Lanning himself was one of those assistants and it’s turned out fairly well for Oregon.

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Oregon’s two-headed tailback monster on Doak Walker watch list

Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington have been put on the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list.

Oregon has been known for its running back duos for quite some some beginning with LaMichael James and Kenyon Barner. The Ducks’ latest duo of Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington is collecting their share of mentions on award watch lists.

Both Irving and Whittington are on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which goes out to the nation’s best tailback in college football.

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The Oregon duo came into Eugene last season as transfers, Irving from Minnesota and Whittington from Western Kentucky, and they both had stellar first seasons as Ducks.

Irving gained 1,058 yards and scored five touchdowns with Whittington complementing him with 779 yards and also five scores. More of the same if expected from these two in 2023.

Bijan Robinson from Texas was last season’s Doak Walker Award winner.