Tales from the stat sheet: Did LaMichael James peak at 20?

According to an article by Chris Huston of The Heisman Pundit, LaMichael James "has become a shadow of the darting, nimble, explosive player he once was." He cites LMJ's weight gain and seeming tentativeness in the LSU game as signs James is no longer the elite back who earned the Doak Walker Award and an invitation to New York last season. Huston points out that since Oregon's all-time rushing leader busted loose for 239 yards in game 7 against the Trojans, "he has averaged just 95 yards and 4.0 yards per carry."

James himself was visibly frustrated after the LSU game, vowing to"run the way I want to" for the rest of the season.

photo at left: Oregon's all-time rushing leader, blowing by the Oregon State defense as a redshirt freshman. (courtesy zimbio.com)

Was it a mistake for LaMichael to add bulk? Has he lost a step? Take a look at those last six games (statistics from espn.com):

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