Oregon Ducks Royce Freeman, Tyrell Crosby Win Pac-12 Superlatives

A pair of Oregon Ducks are officially Pac-12 superlative winners courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

While you might think back to awkward high school days when hearing the word "superlative," in this case the Ducks duo is being recognized for their offensive prowess.

Running back Royce Freeman was named the toughest to tackle in the conference:

Freeman forced 80 missed tackles on rushes and 9 missed tackles on receptions. His 108.6 elusive rating ranks No. 1 among all returning Pac-12 running backs. He averaged an impressive 3.77 yards after contact per attempt in 2015.

and offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby was named the Pac-12’s best run blocker, which pairs nicely with Freeman’s honor:

The right tackle in the Ducks’ zone-blocking offense, Crosby’s +26.8 run blocking grade ranks No.1 among returning Pac-12 offensive linemen. Dielman’s +16.3 run blocking grade ranks No.2.

Freeman also got the runner up spot for most productive out of the backfield, which went to Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, and was named runner up for best hands, which was won by Phillip Lindsay of Colorado.

For Freeman, the honors just keep on coming. He’s already on a number of preseason awards watch lists and is even drawing some Heisman hype. If he has a great season, Crosby will be a big reason why.