Kenny Bassett

Oregon Ducks running back Kenny Bassett (31), runs against Washington on Saturday evening, an opportunity in the backfield that Bassett called a "long time coming."

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

EUGENE -- That Kenny Bassett worked his way into Oregon's rotation for meaningful playing time against Washington didn't surprise the former walk-on.



That it happened at running back, however, did.

Asked to remember the last time he carried the ball, Bassett drew a blank. It was actually Sept. 13, but the pause was symbolic enough.



"It felt like a long time coming," Bassett said.



That, in turn, might be surprising for fans who know Bassett as a veteran, albeit an obscure one, in the Oregon Ducks' backfield.



He's known within the program, though, as a steady workhorse with great hands, and running backs coach Gary Campbell has consistently lauded his pass-catching. The praise precipitated his move to receiver during last week's practices leading up to Oregon's 45-20 victory against Washington.



It was the work-around to the classic problem of Bassett's career: Talented, but with no place to go.



In the backfield, he was always stuck behind a logjam of talent, first by LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner, then Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner.



Then in August, a 230-pound roadblock appeared: Freshman Royce Freeman.



It didn't matter that the freshman didn't know the playbook.



"When you're 230, things just work out a little different for you," said Bassett, launching into a self-deprecating laugh. Before his carry on first and goal from the Washington 2 on Saturday, a play that went for a loss of one yard, Bassett joked he kept glancing toward the sideline to see when the Ducks would replace him with the bruising Freeman.

Seven games into the season, the Ducks looked to Bassett, and at running back no less.



When Tyner suffered a shoulder injury on a hit by Washington's Shaq Thompson on the opening kickoff, Bassett became the back who spelled Freeman, rushing for 21 yards on six carries, the second-most carries among running backs against the Huskies.



"All week I practiced being a receiver but the whole year I was a running back," Bassett said. "... I can't complain. Everybody has their one function and I pinpointed my function. Saturday they needed me to do something else that I was ready for and that's how it was."



As a graduate student in accounting, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Bassett knows his career 2.7-yard per carry average doesn't add up to much compared to the marquee names he shares a position (or positions) with.



Bassett has 44 career rushes for 117 yards and a touchdown, with two receptions for 36 yards.



Those numbers don't reflect his total value, argue his coaches. Like any non-star -- after four years, Bassett was awarded a scholarship in June -- he's learned to carve out playing time by doing anything he's told.



On kickoff coverage, as opponents learn to double-team freshman receiver Charles Nelson, a speedy and disruptive force with 10 tackles, Bassett has sped past for four tackles. As a blocker, Bassett "did a great job in protection" against Washington.



"We busted a protection up front and he made it right for a huge play," head coach Mark Helfrich said.



Added offensive coordinator Scott Frost: "We can put him anywhere and he's fine. He just gives us another guy we can trust and I trust him a lot both at receiver and running back. He's a playmaker. He can make people miss and it was great to see him when he was called upon."



For inspiration, Bassett drew on his long wait to play on offense in a game that wasn't already a blowout. He also had a good friend to play for in receiver Keanon Lowe.



Lowe, a senior leader, did not play due to an injured hamstring suffered against Washington. It was the worst possible timing for Lowe, who verbally committed to play for Washington before his senior year at Beaverton's Jesuit High before changing his mind four months later, when Oregon offered him a chance to play receiver.



"While I was out there I looked at (Lowe) and he told me, 'KB, let's go,'" Bassett said, before repeating himself with a broad smile.



"It felt like a long time coming."



-- Andrew Greif | @andrewgreif