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Kenjon Barner is quick to say that he is no LaMichael James.
And he doesn't want to be.
Barner takes over this season as the top running back for Oregon now that James has moved on to the San Francisco 49ers. He said he's ready to establish his own legacy with the Ducks - separate from the one-two punch he formed with James the past two seasons.
''The only thing that's similar between me and LaMichael is the fact that we're friends. We're two completely different guys, two completely different players,'' Barner said. ''So as far as comparisons go, LaMichael is great at doing LaMichael, and I'm great at doing Kenjon.''
Often over the last two seasons, Ducks coach Chip Kelly referred to Barner as option ''1A'' behind James, inferring that the two were nearly interchangeable. Indeed, the team didn't appear to lose a step last season when James missed two games with a dislocated right elbow. The Oregon Ducks went 12-2 capped by a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
Barner was the Ducks' second-leading rusher - behind James - for the past two seasons. He ran for 939 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, and caught 17 passes for 184 yards and three scores.
In three seasons at Oregon, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound back has rushed for 1,856 yards. He has 26 touchdowns. Barner needs 1,441 yards this season to take over for Derek Loville (3,296) as the program's second all-time leading rusher behind James.
James, a Heisman trophy finalist as a sophomore, announced in early January that he was going to skip his senior year to enter the NFL draft. He was taken in the second round by the Niners. James finished his career with 5,082 rushing yards. He was the first Pac-12 player to have three straight 1,500-yard seasons.
Despite his absence, and the departure of quarterback Darron Thomas, the Ducks are ranked No. 5 in the preseason AP rankings. Oregon opens at home Sept. 1 against Arkansas State.
The Ducks haven't yet named a starting quarterback to replace Thomas, who was 23-3 in leading the Ducks before leaving early for the NFL draft.
Bryan Bennett, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, was Thomas' backup last season, throwing for 369 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Marcus Mariota, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman, played well in the spring game, setting up a position battle that has gone on behind closed doors during fall camp. Kelly said this week that he will release a new two-deep depth chart on Friday.
Barner jokes that he indeed has a preference at quarterback: Hall of Famer Steve Young. ''I'd be glad to welcome him to Oregon,'' he laughed.
Kidding aside, Barner said: ''Whoever starts at the position will do a great job. They're two very capable guys of leading this offense - not only this offense, but leading this team - to where we want to go.''
Also undefined for the Ducks is the role of dynamic playmaker De'Anthony Thomas - but that's on purpose.
Thomas is both fast and versatile, going from running back to wide receiver to kick returner. He didn't attend regular position meetings last season and instead game-planned individually with Kelly. In the end, he set an Oregon freshman record with 18 touchdowns: seven rushing, nine receptions and two on kickoff returns.
Thomas is the most likely one-two combo with Barner.
''Usually we have two guys and we split the carries between those two, so depending on the depth behind those two guys will determine how we will use them, but you will see them both on the field at the same time,'' Kelly said. ''I think what that presents to a defense - with some of the other weapons we have from a skilled position standpoint - is something that's going to make defensive coordinators stay up late at night.''
Barner agrees.
''I kind of see it developing the same way as the coaches developed me and LaMichael,'' he said. ''When me and LaMichael were on the field at the same time it was dangerous for defenses to defend, because you not only have to worry about one guy, you have to worry about another who is also a major playmaker. You have that in De'Anthony.''
Two seasons ago when Oregon went undefeated and played in the national championship game against Auburn, Barner missed two games because of a scary concussion.
Flattened on a kickoff return by Washington State's Anthony Carpenter, he was hospitalized. Afterward James showed him the clip of the hit on YouTube but Barner remembered none of it.
Barner, who says he still doesn't remember anything but running onto the field that day, believes the hit made him a better player because he was forced to overcome the fear of being injured again.
''You can't afford to be nervous. You can't afford to be timid, you can't afford to think about anything else other than making the play because if you're timid, that's how you get hurt,'' he said.
There was plenty of speculation earlier this year that Barner might leave Oregon with pal James for the NFL. But he decided to stay and earn his degree in criminology, which he did this spring. After football, he envisions a job with the FBI.
Barner also stayed because he has something to prove.
''I'm definitely ready,'' he said. ''I've been preparing for this for quite some time now. I feel physically ready and well as mentally ready.''
