Byron Marshall embodies Oregon’s “Next Man In” philosophy.
Called upon to take over last weekend against California when De’Anthony Thomas left after the opening kickoff with an ankle injury, Marshall ran for a career-best 130 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be tapped again this Saturday when the No. 2 Ducks (4-0, 1-0) visit Colorado.
Thomas most likely will sit out against the Buffaloes because of the right ankle sprain he suffered in the 55-16 victory over the Golden Bears. The dynamic running back returned the kickoff 27 yards but slipped on the turf that was slick from a driving rain.
Thomas has been wearing a boot, and running backs coach Gary Campbell told reporters earlier this week that the speedy junior’s return was “not going to happen” against the Buffaloes (2-1, 0-1). Thomas leads the Ducks with 338 yards rushing and six touchdowns this season.
Marshall is ready to go, Campbell said. About the only issue he had against Cal was fumbling in the pouring rain, including on his first two carries.
“I liked everything about his game except for the fumbles of course. That was a lot due to the weather,” Campbell said. “But Byron stepped up and showed that he had the stamina to carry the load like I figured he would.”
Marshall, a sophomore from San Jose, Calif., rushed for 464 yards and four touchdowns last season, while a bulk of Oregon’s carries went to Kenjon Barner and Thomas.
Marshall is proving he’s a sturdy and dependable sub for Thomas. He has rushed for 326 total yards and four scores so far this season.
“My mentality never changes,” Marshall said. “My job is to be ready when they tell me to go.”
Oregon freshman Thomas Tyner also contributed against California with 13 carries for a career-best 94 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
So far this season, Oregon is ranked atop all FBS-level schools with an average of 332.5 yards rushing per game. The Ducks are ranked third in total offense with an average of 599.3 yards a game and second in scoring offense with 59.8 points per game.
For the first time in school history, the Ducks have scored 50 or more points in four consecutive games.
All of that obviously is a concern for Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre.
“They go really fast, and they get all these different formations, and if you don’t line up right, then all of a sudden there’s a big gap, and they go so fast, that they’re gone,” MacIntyre said. “So you have to understand where to line up, and hopefully we’ve practiced against ourselves enough – and we do fast speed periods – that we can line up correctly, and then you have to tackle them in open space. That’s what we have to do, so hopefully that’s what we do.”
The Buffaloes are coming off a 44-17 loss at Oregon State last Saturday.
Colorado actually ranks atop the Pac-12 in rushing defense, allowing just 91.3 yards a game. Last weekend they allowed Oregon State just 120 yards on the ground, but the Beavers’ running game has been dismal this season with an average of just 68 yards a game.
The Buffaloes rank ninth in the league for overall defense, allowing 391.7 yards a game.
Last year, Oregon defeated Colorado 70-15, rolling to 617 yards in total offense, including 425 yards on the ground in Eugene, Ore.
No. 2 Oregon Ducks at Colorado Buffaloes
Time: No. 2 Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) at Colorado (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12), 4:07 p.m. Saturday, Pac-12 Network, KRSJ 100.5 FM.
Line: Oregon by 39.
Series Record: Oregon leads 9-8.
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The Ducks will head to Folsom Field with a streak of 16 consecutive wins in an opponents’ stadium, the longest mark in the nation. The Buffaloes will play at home for the first time in three weeks after a devastating flood hit the area and led to the postponement of the game Sept. 14 against Fresno State. The stadium suffered no damage.
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Oregon cornerbacks Terrance Mitchell and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu vs. Colorado wide receiver Paul Richardson will be the matchup to watch. Mitchell and Ekpre-Olomu are two of the top cover corners in the country. They will try to keep up with Richardson, who leads the nation in yards receiving per game (162.3). Richardson started the year with two consecutive 200-yard games.
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Oregon: Ducks running back Byron Marshall should receive even more carries with De’Anthony Thomas unlikely to play because of a balky right ankle. Those aren’t easy shoes to fill, considering the explosiveness of Thomas. Marshall has 48 carries for 326 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Colorado: Buffaloes defensive tackle Nate Bonsu will try to keep the pressure on elusive Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who’s only been sacked three times this season. Bonsu had a sack last week at Oregon State.
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Oregon coach Mark Helfrich was the offensive coordinator at Colorado from 2006 to 2008 under Dan Hawkins.
Mariota has thrown a touchdown pass in every game of his career (17). He’s also 7-0 on the road.
The Ducks have scored more than 50 points in all four games this season.
Ducks wide receiver Josh Huff is two catches shy of reaching 100 for his career.
Colorado will honor former coach Bill McCartney in a halftime ceremony. McCartney is the program’s winningest coach and will be inducted into the college football Hall of Fame in December.
CU is 4-16 all-time against teams ranked No. 2 in the polls.
As a makeup game for the Fresno State contest, Colorado will play Charleston Southern on Oct. 19.
Associated Press
