Everyone knows the Oregon Ducks’ run game will be dominated by the two-headed monster of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, but the depth behind the two Doak Walker Award candidates remains questionable heading into Week 1.
Seven McGee and Trey Benson are competing for that No. 3 back role, with a nagging knee injury to Benson potentially paving the way for McGee to begin the season as the top depth option, although both are expected to see the field.
“Aside from Trey healing up and continuing to get better, both those guys have proven that they’re going to help us this year,” coach Mario Cristobal said on Friday. “They’re both going to play.”
With four running backs all expected to contribute in some capacity, there is not a lot of room left for Sean Dollars, who was at one time the second-ranked running back recruit in the country.
That won’t be an issue at least for now, unfortunately, as Cristobal noted that Dollars is further away from getting back onto the field than first expected while he recovers from a knee injury of his own.
“I’d say he’s probably a couple months out,” Cristobal said. “It’s probably a little longer than first expected. But, you guys have seen him. He looks great. He’s grinding. He’s coming around. His rehabilitation has been really strong. He’s got a great attitude. He’s just in it. He wants to get back, but midseason; midseason, so hopefully we get him back then.”
Dollars won’t be around for at least Oregon’s first few games while he makes his way back, challenging the Ducks’ depth in the backfield and in the return game, where he was expected to be a contributor.
Dollars has 15 carries for 128 yards in his brief Oregon career, but the redshirt freshman still has a very bright future despite the injury setbacks.
Another year spent mostly on the shelf is no fun, but learning from Verdell and Dye while preparing to take over a larger role in 2022 isn’t the worst thing in the world, and fans should still be excited about the future with Dollars – even if there isn’t much to see this season.
[listicle id=5728]