How Oregon will replace Carrington
— -- DALLAS -- Oregon lost junior Bralon Addison, its top returning receiver, and tackle Tyler Johnstone, its best offensive lineman, before it even played a game this season.
So don't expect the Ducks to panic after freshman receiver Darren Carrington was ruled ineligible to play against No. 4 Ohio State in Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.
Forget "Win the Day." The Ducks' rallying cry should be "Next Man Up."
Carrington, who emerged as one of the Ducks' best weapons in the past two games, didn't make the trip to Dallas after reportedly failing an NCAA-administered drug test after the Rose Bowl, testing positive for marijuana. Carrington, from San Diego, was the team's No. 2 receiver with 704 receiving yards on 37 catches with four touchdowns.
"It's tough," quarterback Marcus Mariota said at Saturday morning's media day. "He's a big playmaker for us. Next man up."
Allen, who is third on the team with 41 catches for 684 yards with seven touchdowns, also isn't expected to play against the Buckeyes of a knee injury.
Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said he doesn't expect his team's game plan to change much without Allen and Carrington on the field. Converted tailback Byron Marshall, sophomore Dwayne Stanford, senior Keanon Lowe and freshman Charles Nelson are still available, and senior Johnathan Lloyd, a four-year letterman on Oregon's basketball team, might see an increased role.
"We played the entire season last year with a four-man receiver set," Frost said. "These guys are accustomed to doing that. I feel good about our depth going into the game. These guys are in good shape."
It won't be the first time this season the Ducks have played with a depleted receiver corps. Oregon played without Brown and Stanford in a 51-13 victory over Arizona in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 5, and Lowe didn't have a catch against the Wildcats as he worked his way back from an undisclosed injury. Lowe, who has 25 catches this season, also missed two games in October with a hamstring injury.
"We have so much confidence in our next guy stepping up that it doesn't bother us like you think it would," Frost said. "It doesn't affect us like you probably might think because we know how much depth we have at that position. It's actually the most healthy we've been at the position in quite a while."
It also doesn't hurt that the Ducks have Mariota playing under center. Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner, has flourished despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line and with a depleted receiver corps for much of the season. Left tackle Jake Fisher missed two games with a leg injury early in the season, and then All-American center Hroniss Grasu missed three straight games with a leg injury.
"The great thing for them is that the quarterback makes everybody around him better," Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. "They're going to put a new name out there and a new guy out there, but the quarterback is still what makes everything go."
Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said Addison won't play against Ohio State, even though he recently returned to practice. Addison, a junior from Missouri City, Texas, tore the ACL in his left knee during spring practice in April. He was the team's second leading receiver in 2013 with 61 catches for 890 yards with seven touchdowns. If Addison played against the Buckeyes, he would burn a medical redshirt and would have only one season of college eligibility remaining.
"We didn't think about it for very long," Oregon passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Matt Lubick said. "It was based on where he is health-wise. It would have been his decision. I don't think it would have been a good decision for him to play. We're excited about getting him back to where he can practice with us. He'll be 100 percent ready for spring ball."
The Ducks will still have to compensate for being without two of their most proven playmakers. Carrington had more than 100 receiving yards in each of Oregon's past two games. He had seven catches for 126 yards with one touchdown in the Pac-12 championship game -- his first career start -- and then had seven catches for 165 yards with two touchdowns against Florida State.
"We just know we've all got to play well," Marshall said. "We know we have to ... play that much harder and that much smarter."
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