Sophomore tailback Byron Marshall, Oregon's leading rusher, should be healthy enough to start in the Ducks' Alamo Bowl matchup with Texas.
Marshall (5-foot-10, 201 pounds) missed the Ducks' regular-season finale against archrival Oregon State and also missed most of their loss to Arizona the week before with an ankle injury.
He led the Ducks with 995 rushing yards and with 14 rushing touchdowns.
Oregon also should have true freshman tailback Thomas Tyner (5-11, 211) for the bowl game. Tyner ran for a season-high 140 yards against Oregon State but is dealing with a hamstring issue.
"I think all the guys in the backfield will be fine for the game," running backs coach Gary Campbell told The Oregonian newspaper of Portland.
That all of Oregon's tailbacks are healthy should worry Texas coaches. The Longhorns allowed 180.3 rushing yards per game, and while the run defense was better in the second half of the season than in the first half, Baylor and Oklahoma State still gashed Texas on the ground late in the season. Those two schools, who combined for 404 rushing yards and three TDs, run similar offenses to Oregon's. The Alamo Bowl will be Mack Brown's last game as Texas' coach, but if Oregon shows up ready to play, the Ducks' offense should carve up Texas' defense.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
