The performance by the Oregon Ducks on Friday night against Cal was, simply put, inexcusably bad.
Cries for quarterback Anthony Brown to be replaced echoed at near deafening levels at Autzen Stadium, although he redeemed himself with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns – one on the ground and one to Jaylon Redd in the air – to lead Oregon to come from behind victory.
If there was a bright spot to be found, it was junior running back Travis Dye. Dye carried the ball 18 times for 150 yards and a touchdown, also hauling in 69 yards in the air and earning our player of the game award for the second game in a row.
While there weren’t a lot of other strong performers to choose from, both this week and against Stanford two weeks ago, there is no doubt Dye has stepped up in a huge way without CJ Verdell in the mix.
Dye’s 249 total yards ranks high among top single game performances this year in the conference, and his continued excellent on the ground and as a receiver have helped cover for Brown and the rest of Oregon’s stagnant offense over the past two weeks.
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