The ankle injury Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas suffered against California might be bad news for the Ducks in the short term, but it could be worse news for Pac-12 opponents in the long term.
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Thomas rolled his right ankle returning the opening kickoff, but Oregon still cruised to a 55-16 win over the Golden Bears despite a torrential downpour, scoring 50 or more points in four consecutive games for the first time in school history. Sophomore running back Byron Marshall rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns in Thomas' absence, while touted true freshman Thomas Tyner added 94 yards and a score.
The emergence of Marshall and Tyner would give Oregon a consistent threat between the tackles to complement Thomas' versatility and big-play ability as a runner and receiver. A 5-foot-9, 169-pound junior, Thomas has 338 rushing yards and six touchdowns (8.0 yards per carry) and three receptions for 58 yards this season.
Thomas said he wasn't sure if he would be able to play this week at Colorado, but downplayed the extent of the injury.
"I'm pretty sore, that's about it," Thomas told the Oregonian after the game. "I was just trying to make a move, and it was just slippery out there trying to make a move, and I slipped, and I think I just rolled it."
Allowing Marshall and Tyner to be the focus of the running game this week wouldn't necessarily be the worst idea, giving the youngsters more time to get up to speed and Thomas more time to heal before a crucial Pac-12 North showdown with Washington.
Oregon's response to the Thomas injury helped convince four-star recruit Tony James to make a non-binding verbal commitment to the program.
"Usually, when a good player goes out everyone's like, 'Oh, man,'" said James, a running back from Gainesville, Fla. "But when (Thomas) went down, the other guys stepped up."
That sums up life for high-flying Oregon these days. Even when they lose, they win.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
