Suspension has Ducks thin atWR
DALLAS — Oregon knew what was coming, arriving to media day at the College Football Playoff national championship armed with a seemingly endless supply of “no comments” and smooth transitions, with the subject of so many questions thousands of miles away.
But when the questions ended and practice began later Saturday, the Ducks vowed wide receiver Darren Carrington’s surprise drug suspension— handed out Friday after he tested positive for marijuana on an NCAA-sanctioned drug test, keeping him out ofMonday’s game against Ohio State— would not shift focus from Oregon’s pursuit of its first national title.
“It will not be a distraction,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. “Distractions are distractions if you let them be. Having a loss is a distraction, getting guys injured is a distraction, media is a distraction, winning big is a distraction, and how you manage those things is what matters the most. Our guys have managed them, all those situations, very, very well.
“It’s unfortunate for him. We’ll confirm that he’s ineligible due to the NCAA policy.”
The timing of Carrington’s suspension couldn’t beworse, but also couldn’t come at a worse position, with the Ducks already missing standout receiver Devon Allen, who injured his knee on the opening kickoff of the Rose Bowl and is unlikely to play on Monday. Prior to the season, the Ducks also lost their leading returning wide receiver Bralon Addison to an ACL injury, while top tight end Pharaoh Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury inNovember.
As Oregon’s second-leading receiver, Carrington had become the explosive offense’s big-play threat, having showcased his unique size and speed with a careerbest performance in the playoff semifinal win over Florida State, in which he had 165 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said Carrington’s absence wouldn’t impact their balanced attack, but the coach felt bad for the redshirt freshman, while also recognizing that “anytime you put something in your body that doesn’t belong there it’s a bad decision.”
Multiple teammates who had talked to Carrington said he was feeling “down,” leaving them with more sympathy than anger toward the receiver, balancing wanting to be there for him with having to forget he was ever part of the game plan.
“He’s been receiving so much support from the team,” quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “You’re a little disappointed, but at the same time, I think a lot guys feel guilty because we should’ve helped him. He’s got to make his decisions and I think he’ll learn a lot fromthis.
“It’s tough. He’s a big playmaker for us. Next guy up.”
That mantra has been shared by the Buckeyes all season, having replaced two injured Heisman Trophy candidate quarterbacks — Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett — to reach the national title game. Going against Oregon and an offensive system credited with creating stars, Ohio State knows Mariota can make a new one on Monday night.
“You can’t really take them lightly that they lost one player because you see our situation, we lost two quarterbacks and the next one did his job,” Ohio State cornerback Armani Reeves said. “Just because [Carrington’s] a great player doesn’t mean the next one’s not going to be great, too. It could be somebody that’s been waiting for this moment his entire life.”