Will Oregon Ducks Running Back Makhi Hughes Play More vs. Oklahoma State?

EUGENE – The No. 6 Oregon Ducks dominated in their season opener against the Montana State Bobcats. While several players flashed their potential to star for the Ducks this season, a top storyline ended up being a notable player who didn’t see as much time on the field.

Makhi Hughes With Limited Playing Time In Opener

makhi hughes oregon ducks dan lanning ra'shaad samples running back montana state bobcats oklahoma state cowboys jordon — Oregon running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples works with the team during the Ducks’ fall camp Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Running back Makhi Hughes entered the season as one of the team’s highly touted transfers. Transferring from the Tulane Green Wave, Hughes rushed for over 1,000 yards two years in a row, only trailing former Boise State Bronco and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty and former North Carolina Tar Heel Omarion Hampton in that span.

Last season, Hughes rushed for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns. Many anticipated him to be at the top of the depth chart this fall, and he was named to the national watchlist for the country’s most outstanding running back.

Hughes didn’t see the backfield until late in the first half in the season opener. He only recorded a carry for two yards and one reception for four yards against the Bobcats.

“We have a lot of really good players. There were players there,” Dan Lanning said. “He was in, and we had heavy boxes, and then the ball was thrown. He's in, also in a two-minute scenario where the ball is probably gonna be thrown a little bit more, but we had a lot of really, really talented players, and it's going to be continued challenge for us to figure out, how do we use, guys in proper roles.”

The Ducks rushed for a total of 253 yards on 39 carries with 12 different rushers as a team. True freshman Jordon Davison led the squad with three rushing touchdowns.

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Why Didn’t Hughes Have A More Prominent Role?

Given that it was an early nonconference game against an FCS school and Oregon had 12 different rushers (including Hughes) his lack of time in the backfield may not be something for Ducks fans to be too concerned with quite yet. Possibly, the position is extremely talented and the coaches are still sorting through the depth chart.

The opener gave the Ducks a chance to play true freshmen Dierre Hill Jr. and Davison and gain confidence early. Veteran back Noah Whittington has also been with the program for a long time, while Hughes is a recent addition to the squad.

Running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples expressed during fall camp that Hughes is still getting situated with the Oregon offense.

“I think as he continues to get comfortable with what we're trying to do, the more time he spends understanding the scheme, the more time he spends understanding the totality of the offense, you can start to see his play go to the next level,” Samples said.

Lanning said on Wednesday that Hughes hasn’t hung his head or shown anything but the willingness to put in the work to play winning football following the opener.

“That guy that he works every single day,” Lanning said. “You haven't heard this guy say anything, but like, look, how can I help the team? Let's go.”

The Ducks are set to take on Oklahoma State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Will Hughes see more time in the backfield against the Cowboys, or will the team save his legs for bigger matchups down the road?