Oregon Football: 5 storylines to follow during 2018 spring ball

EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 18: Quarterback Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks passes the ball as defensive end Jack Banda #92 of the Arizona Wildcats applies pressure during the second half of the game at Autzen Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the game 48-28. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

3. Feature back or running back by committee?

With Royce Freeman off to the NFL the Ducks need to find a replacement for the Pac 12’s all-time leading rusher. Freeman came in Pac 12 ready as a true freshman and held down the starting position all four years he was in Eugene.

Tony Brooks-James has seen extensive time as a back up, even rushing for 700 yards and nine touchdowns in 2016 when Freeman was out injured. Brooks-James has never been a true starter and will have to hold off Darrian Felix. Felix ran for 6.1 yards per carry as a true freshman in 2017 and the staff chose to burn his redshirt behind Freeman, Brooks-James and Kani Benoit– another senior running back in 2017.

Will Coach Cristobal and Coach Arroyo go with a feature back or will they use a committee approach? A committee would make sense as the trio of backs the Ducks have now aren’t 235 pounds like Freeman. Darrian Felix is a scatback type at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Brooks-James is 5-foot-9 185 pounds and incoming freshman Jamal Elliott is also 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. Using all three to avoid injuries and keep them fresh would make a lot of sense for the Oregon offense.

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