The Sweetest Midweek News Since the Start of Holiday Baking

Rob Moseley has a terrific interview with LaMichael James. James has developed a friendship with the Rodgers brothers, and the texts are flying back and forth between them this week. A natural bond, three fleet athletes from Texas. James has scouting report on his two friendly rivals, revealing with a smile that they are horrible bowlers.

Oregon's zero-to-sixty tailback is refreshingly modest about the Heisman trophy candidacy and his mounting postseason awards, including Academic All-Conference, but the best news in the interview is this encouraging quote:

In the preseason, James actually stated a goal of being an academic all-American, and he said Tuesday that “I’m still shooting for that goal. My career at Oregon’s not done. I still have time to keep striving to be that.”

Pretty clear evidence the Duck running back is leaning toward coming back for his junior year, and that's a tasty morsel of positive news, especially in a week of closed practices. The thought of a backfield with an experienced Darron Thomas, James, Barner and Huff, plus Seastrunk and Williams, is about the best Christmas treat Duck fans could imagine, and considerably less harmful than the spoonfuls of cookie dough I'll sneak between now and Christmas Eve.