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Will Oregon Ducks Start Running Back Tony Brooks-James Over Royce Freeman?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oregon Ducks could start Tony Brooks-James over Royce Freeman against the USC Trojans.

It has been done before this season. The Starting Lineup at Autzen Stadium saw Royce Freeman as the Starter against Colorado, but the Oregon Junior never saw the field. Tony Brooks-James has been the lead rusher over the last month for the Ducks while Freeman has not seemed Freeman-like. The storyline could repeat itself this afternoon against the USC Trojans in Los Angeles.

Royce Freeman is thought to be healthy, but has not had his usual burst of speed to get past the Offensive Line. Case and point, Cal. He had 10 yards on 15 carries against the Golden Bears two weeks ago and although he had a touchdown late in the game last week against Arizona State, rest may be the best thing for Freeman to get back to himself down the stretch.

Tony Brooks-James is the Projected Starter for Saturday and we will know within a series or two if Mark Helfrich and Gary Campbell decide to go with Brooks-James and Taj Griffin against the Trojans. Kani Benoit will also likely see the field, but if we don’t see Freeman the rest could be necessary to keep him as fresh as possible the rest of the way for Oregon in 2016.

Against Arizona State Tony Brooks-James passed Freeman for yards on the season with 572. He is averaging over 8 yards per carry and the two Running Backs are tied with 8 touchdowns this season.

The Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans kickoff at 4pm Pacific Time on ESPN.

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