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Duke vs D'Anthony Thomas- Frosh Seasons

tsimonitis

tsimonitis

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Is Thomas' first year a reasonable comparison to the impact Duke will have? Would a Thomas like frosh year be considered a success by the fan base? Aside from speed are their games comparable? Can Fisch find ways to get Duke the ball the way Kelly did for Thomas?

Open for discussion
 
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Let me start off by saying I have never seen Duke live so my opinion is solely based on highlights. However, I dont see Duke as an scat back type like Thomas. Thomas was a perfect fit for that system. I think Fisch will get Duke the ball but I would be surprised if they put Duke in the slot or out wide. Duke needs the ball near the scrimmage line and go. He has the power and speed to break tackles and go all the way.
 
DAT,..was a work horse last year for sure...not sure we need that much out of Duke..I would take 600 yards rushing and passing. I hope duke does do KR...
 
There games are very similar despite the fact that Thomas has track speed. I think Duke will be used in a very similar fashion to Thomas this year
 
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Tito Benach said:
There games are very similar despite the fact that Thomas has track speed. I think Duke will be used in a very similar fashion to Thomas this year
Click to expand...


Don't agree with this. Duke is much more suited for a pro-style offense than D. Thomas. Duke has surprising power for his size and is a much better runner between the tackles. As elusive as Duke is, he's not in D. Thomas's league as of yet. Thomas was a perfect fit for the Oregon offense, they could use him as a WR and Jet plays accross the LOS. I think we will also use duke on screens and out of the slot a little bit, but he's a more natural pro-style back than Thomas.
 
I love Duke, but I can't see him coming close to what Thomas did overall last year in terms of total yards and touchdowns. That is obscene for a freshman, and to be honest, he had the advantage of playing in the most explosive offense in the nation. He jumped into a well oiled machine and it let his ability shine.

I have questions about or o line, Fisch, and the offense as a whole. I'd be thrilled if Duke put up HALF of Thomas' total yards and touchdowns, and even that would be best case, IMO.
 
Thomas is faster, but Duke is more of a pure running back. DAT was used in the slot at Oregon last year.
 
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[video=youtube;DbxbK5MzmVw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbxbK5MzmVw[/video]


Why did I post this video?

Because **** YOU, that's why.

:)
 
That Thomas kid is fast but 4.39 is still **** fast. Especially for a guy that's just a good football player with good moves and vision.
 
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Freshman in 2011:
120 carries
579 yards
4.8 ypc
8 TDs
15 receptions
111 reception yards

That's closer to the Freshman year I'd expect.

In fact, here are my specific projections for a relatively injury-free year for Duke:

125 carries
675 yards
5.4 ypc
6 TDs
12 receptions
120 yards
1 TD
 
LuCane said:
Freshman in 2011:
120 carries
579 yards
4.8 ypc
8 TDs
15 receptions
111 reception yards

That's closer to the Freshman year I'd expect.

In fact, here are my specific projections for a relatively injury-free year for Duke:

125 carries
675 yards
5.4 ypc
6 TDs
12 receptions
120 yards
1 TD
Click to expand...

That would be a really good freshman year.
 
His stiff arm is an absolutely beautiful thing to watch, completely a natural talent too, you can't teach that ****.
 
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2003: Bush proved to be an impact player as a first-year freshman reserve tailback in 2003. Overall in 2003 while appearing in all 13 games, he ran for 521 yards on 90 carries (5.8 avg.) with 3 TDs, had 15 receptions for 314 yards (20.9 avg.) with 4 TDs, had a team-best 18 kickoff returns for 492 yards (27.3 avg.) with a TD and returned 2 punts for 4 yards (2.0 avg.). He also recovered a fumble (on a bad punt snap). He had 24 plays of 20-plus yards in 2003 out of 115 touches (rushes of 23, 27, 58, 20, 32 and 24 yards, receptions of 28, 37, 38, 27, 30 and 36 yards, and kickoff returns of 23, 25, 30, 34, 35, 35, 20, 58, 96, 30, 24 and 28 yards). He was 10th nationally in kickoff returns (27.3, first in Pac-10). He set USC's freshman all-purpose yardage record (1,331 yards). He was the first Trojan to lead the league in kickoff returns since Anthony Davis in 1974. He was named to the 2003 Scripps/Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American first team, Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention and Rivals.com Freshman All-American honorable mention and All-Pac-10 honorable mention squads, as well as ESPN.com All-Pac-10 Co-Newcomer of the Year. He also won USC's Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" Award (for the longest play).
 
OkieCane said:
The offenses they play in are night/day different
Click to expand...

As in - Oregon's is a disgustingly well-oiled machine, as has been pointed already. Ours is very much a work in progress.

Not pointed out is the fact that DT had a Heisman finalist playing in front of him for much of the year, taking the focus away from him. Duke won't have that luxury.
 
DMoney and I were talking about this exact comparison two days ago.

Black Mamba is faster.
Duke is a more natural running back, but brings a lot of the same things to the table as BMT in that, he's great in the open field, can run routes (which makes him a great slot candidate, ala BMT), can play special teams, etc.

Very similar in how I'd expect them to be used at their respective schools, but Johnson is a better runningback while Black Mamba is just a little faster. Johnson though, just such a gifted runner.
 
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