Royce Freeman left Oregon’s game against Nebraska in visible pain after wrapping his leg in ice.
Oregon running back Royce Freeman was noticeably hurt as he left Saturday’s game against Nebraska. He limped to the locker room with an ice pack wrapped on his leg.
Oregon's Royce Freeman, limping noticeably, is headed to the locker room with his lower right leg heavily wrapped.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) September 17, 2016
It appears that Freeman will have to sit out the rest of the game, which marks a crushing blow for the Oregon offense. Freeman has quietly established himself as one of the top running backs in the nation. The junior running back totaled 3,201 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns in his first two seasons. He also averaged 9.2 yards per carry while scoring four touchdowns to start the 2016 season. It remains to be seen how serious Freeman’s injury will be.
Fortunately for the Ducks, their offense continues to hold strong against the Cornhuskers in their road matchup. Tony Brooks-James has stepped up admirably in Freeman’s place by scoring two touchdowns for the Ducks. However, quarterback Dakota Prukop has been forced to take on a bigger role in this game.
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The former Montana State quarterback leads the Ducks in rushing with 36 yards as of the last scoring drive. The Ducks lead the Cornhuskers, 20-7, in the second quarter. The Ducks offense has not quite been the same since former Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota left. However, weapons such as Freeman have enabled the Ducks to stay competitive in a high-scoring Pac-12 conference.
Oregon’s depth at running back has also made it easier for them to adjust to life without Freeman. The Ducks will certainly need Freeman to return as soon as possible for what will certainly be high-scoring matchups though. Like most other teams, they begin conference play starting next week.