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After his second game this season, Oregon running back LaMichael James sheepishly faced reporters with the admission that he had coasted.
James had rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the Ducks' 69-0 victory over Portland State. The speedy sophomore didn't face much of a challenge against the lower-tier Vikings, and didn't even play the second half.
But James called it the worst game of his career. Looking back on it now, James said he took it for granted that he would play well.
''We were supposed to beat Portland State. I was supposed to run that many yards. But that's not always the key to everything,'' he said. ''I felt like I should have played harder. It was like a wake-up call, you know?''
As the Ducks get ready to face Washington State on Saturday, James is averaging 178 yards a game through four games. His average was second only to Michigan's Denard Robinson (181 yards) among FBS runners.
He is also averaging 8 yards per carry.
''I don't worry a lot about the yards, I worry about the wins,'' he said. ''My focus isn't on being the best running back in the nation, it's on being the best team in the country.''
In fact, James really has just one goal.
''Win the next game,'' he said Thursday. ''That's the only thing I want right now - to win on Saturday.''
Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) is right up there, ranked No. 3 after a 52-31 victory over then-No. 9 Stanford last weekend. James ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinal.
Only two other Oregon players have had two or more games of at least 200 yards in a single season: Reuben Droughns had three in 1998, and Jonathan Stewart has a pair in 2007.
It was James' 11th-straight regular season game with at least 100 yards rushing, and 13th overall.
''When watching a replay of the game on TV, LaMichael makes a good cut or makes some guy miss in the hole and springs it for 20 or 30 yards, the announcer will say 'Oh, good blocking by the offensive line,''' offensive lineman Mark Asper said. ''We'll stare at each other and say 'Actually, that's a very good running back making someone miss in the hole.'
''He always jokes with us 'I'm just a little running back, I just need a little hole to get through,' so that's what we try to give him.''
James, listed at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, burst onto the field as a redshirt freshman after Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount was suspended for punching a Boise State player following last year's season opener.
James ran for a Pac-10 freshman record 1,546 yards last season and was named the league's freshman of the year.
But his reputation was tainted this spring when he was accused of assaulting an ex-girlfriend. He spent two nights in jail, and eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge.
Determined not to let the incident define him, James kept a low profile for the rest of the summer except for a bit of freelancing on Oregon's track team. Because of the altercation, however, James was suspended for the season opener against New Mexico.
He's since made up for the absence by amassing a total of 712 yards and seven touchdowns.
It may be a tad too early, but James' name is getting more and more Heisman Trophy notice. The last Oregon player who had as much buzz was quarterback Dennis Dixon in 2007, but a knee injury toward the end of the season dissolved his candidacy.
''He's a great back, no question about it,'' Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said. ''He is very Barry Sanders-like. Very impressive.''
At the end of the season, it may be the Portland State game that best demonstrates what James is all about. Although some rolled their eyes at the drama of him calling that game his worst, he says now he was sincere.
''I felt like I wasn't myself. I wasn't running hard. I wasn't playing with any emotion. I wasn't playing with any energy,'' he said. ''A lot goes into a game more than just yards.''
