Oregon’s Ayele Forde fails drug test, will not play against Ohio State

Darren Carrington isn’t the only Oregon player who will miss the College Football Playoff national title game because of a failed drug test.

Oregon Coach Mark Helfrich announced Saturday that Ayele Forde won’t play against Ohio State on Monday after the running back tested positive on an NCAA drug screening. Helfrich did not say which substance had shown up in Forde’s test.

Helfrich also confirmed that Carrington would not play after reports that the wide receiver had tested positive for marijuana surfaced Friday.

Helfrich maintained that the positive tests would not be a distraction for the team.

“How you manage those things is what matters most. And our guys have managed all those situations very, very well,” Helfrich said.

Ford saw limited playing time in all 14 games with the Ducks this season, tallying three carries for 17 yards.

Carrington is a much more significant loss for the Ducks. He made 37 catches for 704 yards and four touchdowns this season. He also had seven catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns in Oregon’s semifinal victory over Florida State at the Rose Bowl.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.