EUGENE - LaMichael James is an unassuming, quiet guy off the field.

His 5-foot-9, 180-pounds isn't intimidating compared to some of the physical monsters he plays with and against.

But put the redshirt freshman running back on the football field and it's a different story.

James has caught many eyes this season as he's helped No. 14 Oregon lead the Pacific-10 Conference in rushing offense, scoring offense and total offense.

"He was great from Day 1," Oregon offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. "He has proven day-in and day-out that he's a very good tailback.

"Every week he's made strides and he just needs to keep doing that and he'll be very special."

The numbers James has amassed for the Ducks (7-2, 5-1) speak for themselves.

James has rushed for at least 118 yards in six of the last seven games since becoming Oregon's primary back against Utah, the third game of the season.

He's gained 965 yards and scored eight touchdowns in that stretch and is averaging 135.5 yards in conference games.

James' 1,043 yards put him 12th on Oregon's all-time single-season list, and he needs just 17 more to reach the top 10. He's the first freshman in Oregon history to rush for 1,000 yards.

With a 100-yard average in the four remaining games, James would move to second on the list. Jonathan Stewart's 1,722 yards in 2007 is first.

Helfrich said the first thing that jumps out about James is that he's a good person.

"He works his tail off every day, whether it's special teams or every rep with every team, period," Helfrich said, adding that James hasn't slacked off with his success and is very coachable.

"He's a kid you root for and want to be successful for those reasons."

James, from Texarkana, Texas, joined the program before the 2008 season.

He redshirted, giving him a year to learn behind Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount.

"It helps me to get stronger and get faster and just get a grasp on the offense," James said.

Helfrich, in his first year with the Ducks, said it's hard for any freshman to come in and contribute. Running backs, in particular, take a beating from defenders.

"That helps to get a year, not only the strength and conditioning part of it, just the psychological development that takes place for an 18-, 19-year-old kid," Helfrich said. "That's done nothing but good things for him."

James said he believes he's a different back than in 2008, when he was Oregon's offensive scout team back. He's more aggressive and runs harder, he says.

He's accomplished a lot in just nine games as a Duck, but he knows there's more to work on.

"Just everything, everything you can improve on," James said. "I just want to be a complete player. I just want to get better at everything I do."