The Oregon Ducks are going to go through an interesting transition without Marcus Mariota at the quarterback position, and they received some bad injury news today as well. According to a report from CSNNW.com, running back Thomas Tyner will miss the entire 2015 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Tyner is expected to redshirt this season and come back next year at full strength with an extra year of eligibility.
During the 2014 season with the Ducks, Tyner ended up carrying the football 113 times for 573 yards and five touchdowns as a backup past season. He brings a lot of speed to the field, and fits in perfectly with the system that the Ducks were planning to run this year. It does throw off some of the plans that Oregon had, and may make them figure out other ways to pick up yardage on the ground.
It will be very interesting to see who the primary backup running back ends up being this year. There is speculation that the Ducks may have to bring Byron Marshall back to the running back position after spending most of last year as a wide receiver.
Obviously this hurts the Ducks heading into the 2015 season, and could weaken their offense a decent amount. They run a very fast offense, which can wear out running backs very quickly. Not having a piece like Tyner as a backup is going to force other players to step up, and Oregon can only hope that they are deep enough for that.
All of that being said, this is very disappointing news to say the least for the Ducks and Tyner. Perhaps coming back next season and potential starting will be in his best interests, but it still hurts to sit out an entire season. Tyner has to attack his rehab and work hard throughout the upcoming season and offseason to get himself prepared for a potential starting role in 2016.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
