EUGENE, Ore. - Messiah Hampton was easy to overlook when the season started. Oregon had three established wide receivers back, and the freshman was one of four highly touted first-year Ducks trying to break through. From the outside, early snaps didn’t seem likely.
Inside the program, though, Hampton had already been climbing. His work on the practice field had put him on the radar before anyone pointed to an injury as the reason he got a bigger chance. Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Hampton was headed for a role even before the Portland State game, and the opportunity only expanded when Jeremiah McClellan was unavailable.
"He was going to have a role in that game regardless," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said a week ago."But his role grew quickly because right before pregame. You're anticipating J-Mac being able to go out there and then Messiah goes out there."
Hampton had already shown something the week before in Stillwater, where he came off the bench and caught three passes for 31 yards. That performance followed an offseason built on the kind of effort that has quickly become his calling card.
"The motto is stay ready so you don't got to get ready," he told the press after Wednesday's bye week practice. "Just through the whole offseason grinding and trusting my process, just knowing that when my opportunity comes I've got to make the most out of it.
"I would say the easiest transition is working hard. I come from a program called CTC and James Monroe High School, where hard work was the motto of the program. So I'm used to having to work hard for what I want."
The numbers tell the rest of the story. Through four games, only Evan Stewart has more catches than Hampton, who is tied with sophomore Dakorien Moore for second on the team. In his two starts, Hampton has put up 11 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
"I know that when it's my time, that's going to be my time. As long as I continue to work hard, trust my process and wait for my moment, eventually it will come," he said.
"God will never put you in a situation that you can't handle or that's too big for you. So I just knew that my preparation had prepared me for this, and I was ready for my opportunity."
What makes the early production stand out even more is everything Hampton is doing away from the ball. He’s not just helping as a receiver; he’s also showing up as a blocker on the edge. PFF data credits him with Oregon’s best run-blocking grade, an 80.3 that tops veteran pass catchers Jamari Johnson, who has a 50.2, and Stewart, who sits at 54.3.
"It's probably one of his greatest strengths," Lanning said of his blocking. "To be a great player, especially at wideout, you've got to earn the opportunity to be thrown the ball.
One of the things is you want is for them to be able to honor both... He's done a good job in that area and I expect him to continue to grow there.
For Hampton, that part of the job comes back to the same mindset that got him onto the field in the first place.
"I believe blocking is really how much you love your teammates. I want to see all the running backs and receivers win.
I want to see them go for big plays," he explained. "So, if I can affect that by blocking, I'll do so."
He said he has modeled pieces of his game after Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams.
Oregon’s next game is against UCLA at Autzen the following week. That matchup is set for 12:30 PM on Oct.10 and will be broadcast on CBS.
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Oregon is coming off a win over USC and trying to steer clear of another stumble after the loss to Oklahoma State, so the timing of this game matters. If UCLA is going to prove this start is more than a fast opening month, doing it against a ranked Oregon team would be the clearest statement yet. For the Ducks, it is another chance to show the recent wobble is behind them before the schedule can spring another upset scare. [Read more 🡒]