Tag: Travis Dye

USC running back Travis Dye carted off with injury in first half against Colorado

Travis Dye grabbed his left knee and was eventually carted off the field. An air cast was applied. The whole #USC team left the sideline to come onto the field and encourage Dye.

Oh, no. This is not something USC can realistically afford.

In the first half of Friday night’s game against the Colorado Buffaloes, USC running back Travis Dye — who has meant everything to the Trojans’ offense and locker room this season — was carted off the field with an apparent knee injury.

Dye was seen grabbing his left knee before he was carted off.

The whole USC team left the sideline area and came onto the field to surround and support Dye. The USC team — many dozens of players — came by to encourage him and wish him well, many of them tapping him on the shoulder. That’s how much respect everyone at USC has for Travis Dye.

We will keep you posted on Dye’s status as events warrant. We will put updates below:

Midseason report: Travis Dye is USC’s offensive MVP for the first half of 2022 season

Caleb Williams has certainly been as good as advertised, maybe even better, but Travis Dye did it all for USC’s offense in the first half of the season.

The USC Trojans saw a ton of changes this past offseason after Lincoln Riley became the head coach.

Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison were two of the biggest transfers for the entire college football landscape and they have done well in Los Angeles. But, one of the other notable additions was former Oregon Ducks running back Travis Dye.

It took a couple of games, but Dye has emerged as a workhorse and an explosive back for the Riley offense in L.A.

In fact, Dye is right on the list of talented backs in the Power Five, and he is with names such as Will Shipley and Bijan Robinson.

Through seven games, Dye has 647 yards and seven touchdowns and has rushed for 100 yards or more in four games.

Against Washington State, Dye had 149 yards and a score on 28 carries as the Trojans got the victory. He took a step back against Utah, but nonetheless, Dye has become a significant part of the USC offense.

If he can continue to churn out big games for the rest of the season, USC will be a tough team to deal with and Dye’s draft stock could increase more. The Trojans have games against Arizona, California, and Colorado before finishing the year with UCLA and Notre Dame.

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Oregon fans might hate USC, but many of them want to play USC in Pac-12 Championship Game

.@Ducks_Wire staff writer @Donald_Smalley offered the view that Oregon fans want to play — and beat — Travis Dye. A “bring it on” mentality is strong in Eugene.

Do Oregon fans want USC to beat Utah this weekend in Salt Lake City? Should they? We have been asking Ducks Wire writers about these questions.

One Ducks Wire staff writer, Andy Patton, thinks Oregon fans should want Utah to win.

Ducks Wire editor Zachary Neel thinks Oregon fans should root for USC but will actually root against the Trojans and hope Utah wins.

Now, we turn to a third member of the Ducks Wire team.

Ducks Wire writer Don Smalley had this to say:

“A lot of Utah’s shine has been taken off with their lackluster performance vs UCLA. There isn’t anything there the Ducks can’t handle, especially at home. I think Oregon fans are chomping at the bit to face USC in that title game if it should occur. Oct. 22 is going to be huge with the Bruins coming into Autzen and probably ESPN GameDay coming to Eugene. I think it could be Lee Corso’s last trip out here and it’ll be special. After the Bruin game, Oregon is going to be favored in all of its games. With Travis Dye going to USC and not playing the Trojans in the regular season, Duck fans really want to see how the team matches up with Men of Troy. So they’ll be rooting for USC this weekend.”

Three Ducks Wire writers, three very different views of USC-Utah. Now we wait for kickoff in Salt Lake City.

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Ducks Wire editor offers interesting two-pronged analysis of USC-Utah clash

.@Ducks_Wire editor @ZacharyCNeel said a #USC win would help the #Pac12 … and that Duck fans likely will support Utah. They don’t want Travis Dye to win at USC.

We are gathering reactions and insights from the team at Ducks Wire before the USC-Utah battle this Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Does a USC win help Oregon more, or does a Utah win advance the Ducks’ interests?

Ducks Wire editor Zachary Neel offered a fascinating answer, explaining what Oregon fans should root for, and what Ducks fans likely will root for in actuality:

“I think it would be in Oregon fans’ best interest to root for USC in the matchup with Utah this weekend because it makes sense for the good of the Pac-12 to have the top-ranked team win,” Neel said.

“However, I don’t think that will be the case. Oregon fans hate USC (understandably so) and that fiery passion has gotten a lot of fuel this year, especially with Travis Dye transferring to the Trojans.

“I have a feeling that many Duck fans will be leaning towards Utah just because they can’t stomach pulling for the Trojans, even though a USC victory is what’s best for the Pac-12, and gives the conference champion a better case to make the College Football Playoff when all is said and done.”

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Ducks Wire editor offers interesting two-pronged analysis of USC-Utah clash

.@Ducks_Wire editor @ZacharyCNeel said a #USC win would help the #Pac12 … and that Duck fans likely will support Utah. They don’t want Travis Dye to win at USC.

We are gathering reactions and insights from the team at Ducks Wire before the USC-Utah battle this Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Does a USC win help Oregon more, or does a Utah win advance the Ducks’ interests?

Ducks Wire editor Zachary Neel offered a fascinating answer, explaining what Oregon fans should root for, and what Ducks fans likely will root for in actuality:

“I think it would be in Oregon fans’ best interest to root for USC in the matchup with Utah this weekend because it makes sense for the good of the Pac-12 to have the top-ranked team win,” Neel said.

“However, I don’t think that will be the case. Oregon fans hate USC (understandably so) and that fiery passion has gotten a lot of fuel this year, especially with Travis Dye transferring to the Trojans.

“I have a feeling that many Duck fans will be leaning towards Utah just because they can’t stomach pulling for the Trojans, even though a USC victory is what’s best for the Pac-12, and gives the conference champion a better case to make the College Football Playoff when all is said and done.”

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Travis Dye embodies the FIGHT ON mentality with epic TD run vs Fresno State

Trojans of all ages are taught to #FIGHTON. Saturday night, #USC parents were able to show their children Travis Dye’s run. That’s what “Fight On!” truly means.

Fight On for ol’ SC
Our men Fight On to victory
Our Alma Mater dear, looks up to you
Fight On and win for ol’ SC
Fight On to victory. Fight On!

“Fight On.” It is not just a cheer for athletic events. It is an attitude, a philosophy, a way of life for Men and Women of Troy.

It’s a culture. It’s a way of being. It’s part of every USC student’s DNA, meant to be carried into the world as an alumnus long after playing days or academic careers are over.

Travis Dye didn’t begin his college years at USC. He went to the University of Oregon but transferred to USC this past offseason. He has been very good for Lincoln Riley’s offense, blocking for teammates and providing blitz pickups for Caleb Williams. He has sacrificed for teammates. He already understood what it means to “Fight On.”

Saturday night against Fresno State, however, Dye created a magic moment which fully embodied the “Fight On” mentality.

Look at this tremendous run:

Twitter roared to life:

Travis Dye has already earned the respect of his new USC teammates

Travis Dye gained only 41 yards against Rice, and it didn’t matter. Why? He sacrificed for his teammates. This is the culture Lincoln Riley is building.

Travis Dye gained 20 rushing yards against Rice. He caught one 21-yard pass. He didn’t do much of anything, right? That could not be further from the truth.

Go look at the film from this game. Look at highlights of pass plays that worked for the Trojans on Saturday against Rice.

When Dye wasn’t running with the ball or catching a pass, he was blocking. He was picking up blitzes. He was putting his body in harm’s way for his teammates. He was doing the no-glory gruntwork for Caleb Williams and the rest of the USC offense.

That kind of contribution — which will never show up in the box score — is exactly what good coaches teach to their players and manage to elicit from their players in live game action. This is what gets the attention of teammates and shows leadership in the locker room. This is how teams build a new culture and come together, all pulling for each other instead of being a collection of isolated individuals. This is how USC will become great again. This is how USC will regain national relevance under Lincoln Riley.

We talked about this with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:

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Football scouting expert and NFL draft analyst evaluates Travis Dye, Jordan Addison

.@DonJamesSports continues his discussion with @ElevenBravo138, a football scout and NFL draft analyst. You’ll want to get his views on #USC’s top offensive players.

I sat down with a longtime friend and mentor of mine, Bill Carroll, who is a football scout and an NFL draft analyst. I wanted to pick his brain about all things USC. We bring to you part two of our interview with Bill. We chatted about the Trojans’ transfers and the new USC culture.

Trojans Wire: Could Oregon senior transfer Travis Dye be the best RB in the Pac-12?

Bill Carroll: The short answer is yes; the longer answer is yes, but…? By that I mean, I think a committee approach is going to be used and Dye, Brown, Jones and Barlow are likely in a role sharing situation, so I think he’s not going to be able to have dominant production, but he has NFL talent and upside.

Trojans Wire: Will 2021 Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison from Pitt be as impactful as last year with the Panthers?

Bill Carroll: Yes, but not in the same way he was before, he’s going to see fewer targets; Addison averaged 10 targets per game in 2021, that was about a 30% target share that resulted in 100 catches, 17 TDs and 1,593 yards. In 2022 he’s probably in line for about 1,100 yards, 10 TDs and 79 catches, but the attention he garners will open things for Rice, Williams, Ford and more.

Trojans Wire: USC has lost some toughness over the past decade; how will transfers like Shane Lee from Alabama help change the culture?

Bill Carroll: Hopefully the mindset of both accepting pain while inflicting pain will spread. Lately USC hasn’t physically punished top tier opponents, until that changes they can’t be a consistent candidate for the playoffs.

You can follow Bill Carroll on Twitter.

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Top running back lists for 2022 won’t have USC players on them for a good reason

Travis Dye is a really good running back, Why won’t he make top-10 lists? Caleb Williams will have the ball in his hands, as he should. It’s not a verdict on Dye himself.

Preseason lists continue to flow. One of them comes from USA TODAY College Wire regional editor Patrick Conn, who has come out with his list of the top 10 projected running backs in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

It’s a really good list. Patrick — whom I have podcasted with in the past — knows his college football inside and out. Patrick didn’t include Travis Dye or any other USC running back on his list. Is that a snub? Not really.

When you realize how good Caleb Williams is, and that having the ball in Williams’ hands is USC’s best approach on offense this season, it becomes a lot easier to understand why Travis Dye or Austin Jones won’t get top-tier preseason recognition. It’s not a verdict against them or their level of quality; it’s a reflection of the well-founded belief that Williams is going to throw a lot and often run the ball himself when a play breaks down. Putting the offense in Williams’ hands is the path to success.

Dye and Jones will be very important to this offense, but in secondary, supporting roles.

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Sooners trio Gabriel, Mims, Gray one of 247Sports best trifectas in CFB

The trio of Dillon Gabriel, Marvin Mims and Eric Gray we’re included among the best “trifectas” in college football according to 247Sports.

After Caleb Williams and Mario Williams followed former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley to USC, Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby moved quickly to replace what was lost and get the offense ready for battle.

According to 247Sports, they did a pretty good job.

Oklahoma came in at No. 6 on Matt Howe’s top 10 QB-WR-RB trifecta list with Dillon Gabriel, Marvin Mims and Eric Gray.

Notably, Texas was fifth and USC was second on this list.

The Longhorns boast a Hesiman candidate at running back, Bijan Robinson, and a gamebreaker at wide receiver, Xavier Worthy. Whether it’s Hudson Card or Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns, as always, have a boon of talent on offense.

USC, of course, has a Heisman candidate of its own, Caleb Williams, 2021 Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison, who transferred from Pitt, and dynamic Oregon transfer Travis Dye running the ball.

After losing not one but two former five-star QBs to the transfer portal, Gabriel is about the best “consolation prize” Oklahoma could’ve hoped for.

Just like Gabriel, Mims and Gray have much to prove heading into the 2022 season.

Oklahoma lost several key players with the departure of head coach Lincoln Riley, but still managed to reload enough to make the list. UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel joins the Sooners after three seasons with the Knights. In 26 career games, Gabriel has completed 60.7% of his passes for 8,037 yards with 70 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Wideout Marvin Mims is a former four-star recruit who has caught 69 passes for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first two seasons in Norman. Running back Eric Gray is set to enter his second season with Oklahoma after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Tennessee. Last year, Gray totaled 641 yards and four touchdowns from scrimmage. – Howe, 247Sports

All three players in this trifecta are draft eligible in 2023. Mims is probably the current headliner in terms of NFL draft value. Gabriel and Gray both need to have a great season to assert themselves among NFL draft prospects.

In Jeff Lebby’s offense, Gray will be fed the football, so that’s covered. The last QB to run Lebby’s offense, Matt Corral, was drafted in the third round this year and received some Heisman buzz.

With Gabriel, Mims and Gray leading the way for the Oklahoma offense, the Sooners will once again have one of the best offenses in football. This dynamic trio will have a chance at career-best production operating under one of the best offenses coordinators in college football. 2022 is going to be huge for the OU offense.

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