Tag: mar’keise irving

HIGHLIGHTS: Touchdowns and big plays for the Ducks against BYU

A look at the highlights from the Oregon Ducks battle with the BYU Cougars at Autzen Stadium on Saturday.

The Oregon Ducks are off to a hot start against the No. 14 ranked BYU Cougars at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, scoring early thanks to a strong rushing game and forcing multiple three-and-outs for Kelani Sitake’s offense.

Dan Lanning no doubt wants a commanding victory, one that will quiet the doubters who showed up in droves after Oregon’s catastrophic first game against Georgia in Week 1.

A win over BYU, who defeated Baylor without their top two wide receivers last week, would be a huge boost for this program, and puts them back into the conversation for a Pac-12 title and/or a spot in the college football playoff if things go their way for the rest of the season.

Are you away from a TV and looking to see all of the highlights from the game? We have got you covered. Here is everything you need to see, updated throughout the game.

Who are the 10 best running backs in the Pac-12 going into the 2022 season?

Based on production, where does the hierarchy of running backs stand in the Pac-12 going into 2022?

When we look at individual positions in the game of football, it is always the quarterbacks that come up first. After that, though, it’s hard to look past the players who line up next to them toting the rock.

While we’ve looked at where the QBs in the Pac-12 rank going into the season based on career production, we wanted to do so with the next position group in line, running back.

This is where a disclaimer needs to be made, though. In this ranking, we use career production — what the players have done in the past. For fans of the Oregon Ducks, it may be a humbling list. While Byron Cardwell, Sean Dollars and Noah Whittington may be a tantalizing backfield and could finish as one of the best in the conference, it’s hard to rank any of them among the top 10 players based on past production.

So with a small eye on the future but a strong emphasis on the past, here are our rankings of the 10 best running backs in the Pac-12 for the 2022 season:

Oregon adds Minnesota running back Mar’Keise Irving to roster

Mar’Keise Irving, Minnesota’s second-leading rusher, is transferring to Oregon in the fall.

Oregon’s running back depth chart just became a lot deeper.

Former Minnesota Golden Gopher tailback Mar’Keise Irving announced via Twitter that he will be transferring to Oregon this coming season.

Irving, the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder from Chicago, led Minnesota with 966 all-purpose yards as a freshman. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week in Week 1.

He gained 699 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored four times on the ground.

The Ducks needed some depth at the tailback as they were going to go into the 2022 season with a lot of talent, but a lot of inexperience as well with Sean Dollars, Byron Cardwell, and Noah Whittington on the roster. Those three. now Irving, will try to make up for the loss left by CJ Verdell and  Travis Dye.

One of Minnesota’s primary running backs is nicknamed “Bucky”

One of Minnesota’s primary running backs is nicknamed “Bucky”

The week of preparation leading into the battle between Wisconsin and Minnesota for Paul Bunyan’s Axe always has its fair share of shots from either side.

Wisconsin players say they don’t like Minnesota, Minnesota players say they don’t like Wisconsin and the cycle continues. Then, of course, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst does the usual “I appreciate the opportunity to play a well-coached football team with good players.”

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 12 — Wisconsin gets one step closer

There is one wrinkle to the matchup this year to note. While watching film of Minnesota’s loss to Iowa a few weeks ago I kept hearing the announcers say “Bucky.”

Why was that? Well, it’s the nickname of Mar’Keise Irving, one of Minnesota’s primary running backs.

Or, it was. Fleck said back in September Irving’s Minnesota teammates changed the nickname due to their hatred for the Wisconsin program and mascot.

Irving has rushed for 531 yards and 4 touchdowns on 102 carries this season after climbing the depth chart due to cluster injuries at the position. The former four-star recruit figures to pair up with Ky Thomas to lead Minnesota’s rushing attack Saturday against Wisconsin.

Regardless of how he plays, I cannot remember a time in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe when one of the players went by the name of the opposing team’s mascot.

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