By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

EUGENE, Ore.(AP) -- Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has
shortened LaMichael James' name to "LaMike."

A nickname seems a necessity for the redshirt freshman who has
become a key component of the No. 7 Ducks' potent offense. He's
called on a lot, and LaMichael is a mouthful.

Oregon's fans are even catching on, suggesting maybe LaMike
should be called LaBarry - after NFL Hall of Famer Barry
Sanders.

James was named the Pac-10's offensive player of the week after
he had 24 carries for 183 yards and a touchdown in Oregon's
47-20 victory over USC on Halloween.

James' rushing yards were the most ever by a freshman at Oregon.
He broke his own record set earlier in the season.

"You can't say enough about how that man plays. His long runs
give us a spark, but besides that, just him grinding out and
getting those tough five yards is one thing we really need on
this team," Masoli said.

The performance was the latest in what has been a quick learning
curve for James, who came to the Ducks from Texarkana
Liberty-Eylau High School in Texas.

James is averaging 114.8 yards rushing a game, ranking him third
in the Pac-10 behind Stanford's Toby Gerhart and Oregon State's
Jacquizz Rodgers, and 15th in the nation.

He has five games with 100 or more rushing yards. And in the six
games he's been a starter, he's averaged 140 yards.

James' 918 total yards so far this season put him at second
among freshman running backs at Oregon. Sean Burwell rushed for
969 yards as a freshman in 1990.

Asked to explain his success, James is modest.

"It's determination. I just want to play hard," he said.

At 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, James is small like Rodgers, who
made a splash last season as a freshman. Rodgers, who is
5-foot-7, ran for 186 yards against USC and went on to be the
first freshman to be named the league's offensive player of the
year.

James was given extra responsibility in Oregon's offense after
the Ducks dropped their opener at Boise State.

In the aftermath of the nationally televised loss on the
Broncos' trademark blue turf, Oregon running back LeGarrette
Blount punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout.

Blount, who rushed for 1,002 yards last season, was suspended
for the season the very next day. James, redshirt freshman
Kenjon Barner and senior Andre Crenshaw were charged with
pulling together Oregon's splintered running game.

The Ducks didn't miss a beat, re-establishing themselves as one
of the country's top rushing offenses. Oregon is ranked eighth
nationally with an average of 233.25 yards on the ground.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly has said he could bring Blount back if
the senior meets certain behavioral and academic requirements.
While Kelly earlier suggested that he could be reinstated for
this weekend's game against Stanford, the school has made no
formal move. The final decision must be made by the Pacific-10
Conference.

"When we have an announcement, we'll make it," Kelly said.

Blount has been allowed to practice, and this week he's been
wearing Gerhart's jersey as Oregon (7-1, 5-0) prepares to visit
the Cardinal (5-3, 4-2).

And it is not known how Kelly will integrate Blount into the
offense when, or if, he returns.

In the meantime, it's up to LaMike.

"Each week he keeps getting better and better," Kelly said.

Extra Points: Kelly caused quite a stir this weekend when
ESPN's Game Day visited Eugene in advance of Oregon's game
against USC. He donned the Duck mascot head and walked
anonymously among the fans who turned out for the early morning
broadcast. When he got to the stage/set, he pulled off the
costume to the surprise of many on the Game Day crew. The move
was a bit out of character for the buisness-like coach. "I don't
know if there's a better mascot in all of sports," Kelly said
later.