For Oregon running back Da'Juan Riggs, the hardest part of last season wasn’t just the injuries themselves. It was what they did to his rhythm, his confidence and the way he saw the game.
Riggs is physically back now, but the bigger story is the reset he went through after a year defined by setbacks. Ducks running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples said the redshirt sophomore had to grow through the frustration after showing flashes early in his Oregon career.
"I think it was an attitude transformation also. You talk about a guy who had to grow, who did have some flashes his freshman year. It's always frustrating when you feel like you have a glimmer of hope, or you feel like you have something that you deserve or you've earned, and it doesn't come the way you expect it to come," Ducks running back coach Ra'Shaad Samples said.
Riggs said the injuries forced him to rethink everything.
“It bothered me a lot because I know how talented I was, and due to injuries, it had me sitting on the side," Riggs said. "It gave me a different perspective.
I was like, ‘I just need to work,’ because any day this game could be taken away from me. So when I got injured, I'll just tell myself when I get back, I'm just gonna work as hard as I could.”
The groin injury that slowed him down was serious enough to limit his mobility, and then came another setback that ended his season. Riggs said the problems started late in his freshman year, when the groin issue kept him from running at full speed. After that, he hurt his foot in practice, was in a booth and missed the rest of the season.
“I want to say late freshman year, I started dealing with groin issues," Riggs said. "Turned to be something real bad, to where I couldn't run full speed, and then finally got back from that and hurt my foot.
Hurt my foot in practice. I happened to be in a booth, and it took me out of the rest of the season.”
Samples said the early part of that stretch was especially tough for Riggs, but also pointed to the way he carried himself inside the building. The coach described him as the kind of player who lifts the room.
"I think that bothered him early on in the season," Samples said. "But he's been such a positive person in that room.
He's been such a positive light for those guys. All the guys love him.
He's the personality of the room. 'Dink' is the guy who makes everybody laugh, makes everybody smile and makes everybody happy to be here.
When he's that guy, he plays really good ball. I think he's growing as a person, and it's helping his habits.
It's helping his mindset on and off the field, which is allowing him to be a better player."
Being far from home made the whole thing even tougher. Riggs, who is from Washington D.C., dealt with those injuries early in his Oregon career while trying to find his footing 3,000 miles away.
Now, though, the focus shifts to what he can do next. Riggs said he has spent time sharpening the physical side of his game and wants to be more than just a runner who can make people miss.
“I’ve been more focused on the physical part of my game. I'm very good at making people miss, but I wanted to advance my game more and be more physical, which means blocking," he said. "Just instead of trying to juke a guy, if I can't just dip my shoulder and get just get the five, four yards that's there.”
That kind of approach fits what Oregon needs from him. The Ducks do not need Riggs to break everything open every snap.
Sometimes the job is simpler than that, and four or five yards is enough. Riggs looks like the kind of back who can handle it.
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