Rose bowl: 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.