De’Anthony Thomas returns to make more heads shake

He was standing still, a brilliant Pasadena sun glittering off his silver helmet, a powerful Crenshaw legacy embedded in his darkened jersey.

And then, just like that, he was gone.

Last winter, De’Anthony Thomas was a prized USC running back recruit before suddenly and stunningly sprinting into the wilds of Oregon.

On his first official football visit home Monday, he disappeared again, twice, more jaws dropping, more heads shaking, the kid who got away running away with a Rose Bowl record in a 45-38 victory over Wisconsin.

He had all of two carries. He scored exactly two touchdowns. One covered a record 91 yards, the other ate up 64 yards, and both were so blinding, neither involving him being actually touched.

His teammates took care of that last part after the game, swarming and hugging and lifting the 5-foot-9 shaggy-haired rag doll freshman as confetti fell and hyperbole flew in the wake of Oregon’s first Rose Bowl win in 95 years.

Fittingly, a team that now averages about one Rose Bowl win per century was led by a kid who averaged 77.5 yards per carry.

His teammates were amazed.

“I’m watching like, how did he do that?” tight end Dave Paulson said.

His coach was laughingly apologetic.

“I’m going to have to be a better play caller,” Chip Kelly said. “I’ll see if next year we can get him an extra carry or two.”

Lane Kiffin was, well, we can only imagine how Lane Kiffin felt, watching a once-future Trojan return to Los Angeles to become a legendary Duck.

A year ago, as a Crenshaw High senior, Thomas was ranked as the top athletic prospect in the nation. As with many great inner-city players in recent years, he committed to USC and even helped recruit other future Trojans.

But less than a week before national signing day, he took a surprise trip to Oregon and returned decked in Ducks gear that symbolized his change of heart.

Thomas said he just felt more comfortable in Eugene, and has steadfastly refused to elaborate. The Trojans still feel there’s more to the story, with Kiffin recently saying, “It was just shocking to everyone around here.”

The only undisputed truth in the puzzling incident is that Thomas lost his Trojans connection when Todd McNair, the coach who recruited him, was fired in the wake of the Reggie Bush saga.

“I knew right away he was going to be a Duck when, driving around campus, he talked about how special and welcomed he felt,” said Terrell Turner, Oregon senior defensive end from Crenshaw who was Thomas’ host on the recruiting visit. “USC is a great school, but he really felt at home here.”

Turner also said Monday that Thomas wanted to break free of some troublesome neighborhood distractions, as well as attend a school where he would immediately be something special.

“You know, sometimes you’ve got to get out of L.A. and into a safer environment,” Turner said. “And I know he also wanted to go somewhere he would play a big role right away.”

Thomas has been given special treatment as a hybrid player at Oregon, resulting in16 touchdowns as a running back, receiver and kick returner. Could he have played that sort of role amid guys such as Marqise Lee and Robert Woods at USC?

Trojans fans would have surely like to find out. But Trojans fans watching the kid Monday needed to look fast.

Seemingly moments after a simple handoff at the end of the first quarter, he had raced down the right sideline and into the end zone for a 91-yard score to tie the score, 14-14. At the start of the second half, he did it again, taking the ball in the backfield and racing down the left sideline for a 64-yard score that gave Oregon its first lead.

The only thing harder than doing that sort of thing, apparently, is explaining it, as the reticent Thomas shrugged through it all.

“Just great blocking from the offensive line, that’s about it,” he said. “I just saw open field and I just tried to take a touchdown, that’s it.”

At least one close witness was happy to fill in the gaps.

How quick was he?

“One of the Wisconsin defensive tackles came over to me and said, ‘Man, he’s fast’ and I was like, ‘Uh, yeah,’ ” guard Mark Asper said.

How amazing is he?

“I remember once trying to block for him, and realizing I wasn’t going to catch him, so I just stopped … and a few steps later, the defensive guy also realized he wasn’t going to catch him, and he stopped,” Asper said.

How much did it mean for the kid do this at home? Well, it depends on your definition of home.

As Thomas stood on the field surrounded by red-eyed teammates early Monday evening, he gave his clearest message about leaving USC when he said, “I like playing in front of my family, but those fans in yellow, that’s also my family now, that’s my home now.”

He was here, and now he’s gone, Wisconsin under his cleats, USC in his past, one rosy win, two teams flattened.

bill.plaschke@latimes.com

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