Perhaps it was because he sees time returning kicks, started out as a cornerback, or because his name lacks a French twist. For whatever reason, freshman Kenjon Barner wasn’t widely recognized among Oregon’s glut of capable running backs entering the 96th Rose Bowl Game.
Instead, most of the talk leading up to Oregon’s 26-17 loss to Ohio State centered on the Ducks’ duo of LaMichael James and LeGarrette Blount.
Blount, a senior, will always attract the eyes of the media because he landed a haymaker to the mug of a Boise State lineman in Oregon’s season-opening loss.
James, a redshirt freshman, assumed the starting position when his counterpart was suspended thereafter, and thrived in the Oregon backfield, topping 100 yards in nine different games.
But it was the lesser-known Barner who etched his name into the memories of Bucks and Ducks fans alike, torching Ohio State on kick and punt returns, and from out of the backfield.
Barner gained 13 yards on his first carry, Oregon’s second play from scrimmage. It was certainly no fluke. He constantly burned the Buckeye defense with his elusive speed.
Over and over, he provided the Ducks’ offense quality field position by picking up large chunks of yardage on returns.
“It was just a matter of my teammates holding their blocks and making me a hole to run through,” Barner said.
He returned four kickoffs for 122 yards, allowing Oregon to start drives from its 26-, 41-, 47- and 38-yard lines. He also took back a punt 28 yards to grant the Ducks starting field position well inside Buckeye territory.
“He’s just a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, whether it’s in the return game or running the ball or catching the ball,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said.
Barner amassed 64 yards on just seven carries, a large part of a run game that seemed to be hit-or-miss against the OSU defense.
James gained 70 yards on 15 rushes, but temporarily left the game in the second half with an injury to his shoulder. Blount scored Oregon’s first touchdown, but cost the Ducks dearly with a third quarter fumble inside the Ohio State red zone.
That left Barner as the only constant during a game in which Oregon uncharacteristically struggled to find consistency. The fact that Kelly — and the rest of the college football world — got a taste of what the freshman can do, was somewhat of a silver lining for the Oregon coach.
“I know there’s a lot of negatives about tonight, and obviously losing to a very, very good football team,” Kelly said. “But I get to spend three more years with Kenjon.”
