LAS VEGAS -- Royce Freeman's absence from the Las Vegas Bowl didn't go unnoticed.
In fact, it was one of the focal points on and off the field.
The senior running back announced earlier this week that he would not play in the Las Vegas Bowl, ending a couple weeks of speculation as to whether or not Oregon's all-time leading rusher would partake in one last ride with the Ducks. It was a decision that was met with little surprise and mostly support.
What Freeman did wasn't unique -- sitting out mid-to-lower level bowl games has become a growing trend in college football for players with NFL potential.
But by the end of the Las Vegas Bowl, a decision that was respected by the Oregon locker room turned into a focal point of the Ducks' 38-28 loss to Boise State.
Actually, the criticism began from the start. Freeman was in street clothes on the sidelines during the game and even addressed the team as the Ducks readied for the game. This caught the eye of ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit, who was critical of head coach Mario Crisotbal's decision to allow Freeman to do so.
"In the pre-game, Royce Freeman, who is healthy and has had an incredible career when healthy as the Oregon running buck, he got in the middle of the Oregon team to rally the troops," Herbstreit said. "Oregon may come back and win, but the way they've started, I don't know necessarily if that's a great recipe for a winning opportunity to have a guy who's healthy, skipping a bowl game because he's getting ready for the draft, to be out there.
"Head coach leaves, new coach is in and you've got a guy that's healthy not playing in a bowl game trying to get his team fired up. I mean, if I were a senior, I'd probably say, "Hey man, we love you, but go on the sidelines. Let us get the team ready.'"
ESPN's fascination with Freeman didn't end there. During halftime, former Texas head coach Mack Brown continued to criticize the Ducks for the situation.
"Well, he's not part of our team anymore. He decided not to play in the game; I don't bring him," Brown said at halftime. "I don't bring him to the site. I don't let him be around the bowl. I don't have him speaking to our team for sure. If he's on our football team, he's at home, he's watching. Because he made the decision 'I don't want to play, I don't want to be a part of it.' When you're not part of it, you're not part of it with me."
When asked about their comments following the game, Cristobal said he and the team wanted to have Freeman on the sideline.
"I think everyone is entitled to their opinion," Cristobal said. "In discussing Royce's choice we made a decision that we would sit down and talk about it and we did. It was something that we would be supportive of and the team wanted it. I respect our players and their decision."
It was pretty apparent the Ducks missed having Freeman on the field. While Kani Benoit and Tony Brooks-James have been successful in their roles this season as Freeman's backups, the Ducks struggled to surmount any sort of rushing attack against the Broncos. The Ducks rushed for just 47 yards in the entire game. Brooks-James was the team's leading rusher with 13 yards. Justin Herbert, the team's quarterback, had the Ducks' longest rush at 24 yards and would have led the team in total yardage had it not been for his three sacks.
"I thought we could run the ball better than we did," Cristobal said. "We certainly didn't block them up and run it like we did over the course of the season and it changed the dynamic of the game."
Worse for Oregon were the negative plays that may or may not have happened had Freeman been on the field. Brooks-James' fumble in the first quarter in Oregon territory led to a quick Boise State touchdown for a 14-0 lead.
With Oregon driving deep into Boise territory down 31-14 in the third quarter, the junior running back picked up an unsportsmanlike penalty for tossing the football into a defender's face. The Ducks would punt two plays later and Cristobal spent several moments addressing Brooks-James on the sideline. When Oregon got the ball again, freshman Darrian Felix was in the backfield.
"He knows it's unacceptable," Cristobal said. "We have a really good understanding amongst us a team, as players and coaches, so confronting and demanding is part of football. If a coach has to tiptoe around that stuff then he shouldn't be coaching. I was hard on him about that and he understands that and feels terrible."
The Ducks had time to prepare for life without Freeman. While the Ducks announced Freeman's decision on Thursday, Benoit said the team knew for weeks that they would be without their star. Benoit credited Boise State for its play and also conceded that the Ducks may have had some jitters.
But for Freeman's presence on the sideline?
"Royce is family," Benoit said. "...We were 100 percent behind it and he loves this team and we would be disappointed if he didn't come with us."
-- Tyson Alger
talger@oregonian.com
@tysonalger