Oregon Ducks vs. Arkansas State Recap: De’Anthony Thomas the Best Player in America?
Have you ever played a video game, and had a player with 100 speed who was unstoppable and every time he touched the ball, he pretty much went for a touchdown? Oregon has that in real life, it appears.
The Ducks seem to be doing a good job of figuring out how they can get the ball in the hands of De’Anthony Thomas on a regular basis, and he put on a serious show against Arkansas State on Saturday night.
Though the debut of quarterback Marcus Mariota was quite impressive in itself, I think the season debut for Thomas was on a different level entirely. Kenjon Barner led the team with 66 yards rushing on just nine carries, but DeAnthony Thomas had three carries go for 64 yards and a touchdown. Averaging over 20 yards per carry is impressive, but Thomas didn’t leave it at that. He caught four passes for another 55 yards and two more touchdowns.
You might be thinking that those numbers are nice, but compared to some of the other players around the country, they are just above average numbers, nothing extraordinary. Consider this–Thomas did that in ONE HALF.
Yes, Oregon led 50-10 at the break, and they’d seen enough from their starters to lock up a victory at that point. That being said, I think as we get further into the season you are going to see more and more that DeAnthony Thomas is the most dynamic playmaker in the country, rivaled only by Pac 12 foe Marqise Hill over at USC.
To say Thomas is fast would be an understatement, but speed is not the only name of his game. He is incredibly quick and instinctive, and he can be used in a wide variety of ways. Oregon gets him involved in the running game, passing game, and on special teams. You fear a bit for over-use, but what Thomas brings to the table is unique. This is a guy who originally looked like a lock to join the USC Trojans two years ago, and now he might be providing the Oregon Ducks with the rarest of weapons.
When this guy gets the ball in space, you don’t have a chance of tracking him down.