Tag: Travis Dye

Opinion: Retaining Travis Dye would be a huge win for Dan Lanning

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning managed to convince Seven McGee and Sean Dollars to stay, but now his work is cut out for him with Travis Dye.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning was non-committal about the future of running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye on Thursday when talking to the media.

Now we have a little better idea why, with the news that Dye is putting his name in the transfer portal – while weighing the idea of returning to Oregon for his senior season.

“I’ll say this, I’m excited about the group of (running) backs we have,” Lanning said on Thursday. “We’ll continue to be aggressive and finding guys that can enhance our program to make us better.”

That’s a great attitude for Lanning to have, and his ability to convince Seven McGee and Sean Dollars to stay with the Ducks despite both players entering the portal is encouraging – but the best way for Lanning to ease the concerns of Oregon fans and boosters is by keeping Dye in an Oregon uniform in 2022.

It’s hard to blame a player for exploring their options after a shakeup as significant as Oregon’s, and while no one could blame Dye for heading to the NFL it would be tough to see him breaking down defenses in another NCAA uniform next season.

Lanning has already proven he can convince players to stick with him and his new staff, but adding Dye back to this offense would provide stability to a position group that is talented, but very raw at the moment without Dye or potentially Verdell.

Not only that, it convinces Oregon’s other veteran players that this is a situation worth staying for – and no doubt helps Lanning on the recruiting front as well.

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Oregon running back Travis Dye enters the transfer portal

Oregon tailback Travis Dye has entered the transfer portal, but as recent history indicates, he could exit the portal as quickly as he entered it.

Not many people saw this coming.

Oregon Ducks running back Travis Dye has entered the transfer portal. Dye was the Pac-12’s leader in all-purpose yardage in 2021 and it was assumed he would either enter the NFL draft or return to Eugene. Dye is poised to have his best year in 2022 as he would be the Ducks’ No. 1 tailback.

But entering the transfer portal wasn’t considered by many close to the program. And just because Dye has entered the portal, that doesn’t mean he won’t be a Duck next season.

Head coach Dan Lanning has had remarkable success in convincing current players to exit the portal and come back after players such as Sean Dollars and Seven McGee announced they would be transferring.

Dye could be the next Duck to test the waters of the portal and have a talk with Lanning and come back. But if he chooses to go elsewhere for his senior season, Dye has set himself up to be a first-round draft choice as tailback No. 1 for another school.

He gained 1,271 yards on the ground and scored 16 touchdowns for Oregon in 2021.

Travis Dye has cemented his place in Oregon Ducks history

Travis Dye might decide to return to the Ducks for his senior season. If he doesn’t, though, his name is already cemented in the record books.

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The Valero Alamo Bowl was not a banner performance for the Oregon Ducks. Nearly 500 yards of offense and over 30 points were a nice way to end the season, but the Oklahoma Sooners were able to find more success, putting up 47 points and almost 600 yards of offense.

It’s easy, and completely justified, to blame the lack of depth on Oregon’s roster for the loss, and while it’s a tough way to end a once-promising 2021 season, there should be no blame or hard feelings about the defeat.

While it was unfortunate to watch play out, there was one good thing that came from the game. Running back Travis Dye cemented his place in the Oregon Ducks history books.

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During the first half of a game in which Dye stood as one of the lone trustworthy sources of Oregon offense with 181 total yards and a touchdown, the junior RB surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for his career, becoming just the 5th player in Duck’s history to do so. Dye now stands alongside Royce Freeman, LaMichael James, Kenyon Barner, and Derek Loville in the record books.

We don’t yet know if Dye will be returning to Eugene for his senior season, but if he does, his legacy with the Ducks could grow even larger. Let’s take a look at the career numbers:

Freeman is first in Oregon history with 5,621 total rushing yards and 64 touchdowns. James follows him with 5,082 yards and 57 TDs; Barner is next with 3,623 yards and 48 TDs; Loville follows with 3,296 yards and 45 TDs.

Then there is Dye, who now has 3,111 career rushing yards and 29 total touchdowns. Should he decide tomorrow that his career at Oregon is done, it’s safe to say that he will go down in history as one of the best RBs to come through the program.

If he should return, then it could add to an already great career.

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Oregon Ducks Player of the Alamo Bowl: Running Back Travis Dye

Travis Dye shone as one of the few bright spots for the Ducks against Oklahoma, putting up 181 total yards in the Alamo Bowl loss.

The 2021 college football season is in the books for the Oregon Ducks, who fell to the Oklahoma Sooners, 47-32, in the Alamo Bowl on Wednesday evening.

The Ducks had an opportunity to showcase many of their young up-and-coming stars, although interim coach Bryan McClendon opted not to play freshman quarterback Ty Thompson despite the score getting out of reach in the first half.

Oregon relied heavily on quarterback Anthony Brown as well as junior running back Travis Dye – who we at Ducks Wire have once again named as the game MVP after an outstanding performance on Wednesday.

Dye exploded out of the gate, eclipsing 3,000 career rushing yards in the first quarter on his way to a remarkable 18 carries for 153 yards and one touchdown. For good measure, Dye also tacked on five receptions (second on the team) for 28 yards.

If this is truly the last we’ve seen of Dye in an Oregon uniform (as of now he is undecided if he will enter the NFL draft) then he went out on a high note, cementing himself as one of the greatest Oregon running backs of all-time.

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Travis Dye becomes fifth player in Ducks history with 3,000 rushing yards

Travis Dye became the fifth Oregon Ducks running back in school history to eclipse 3,000 yards rushing in a strong first quarter.

Heading into the final game of the 2021 college football season, Oregon running back Travis Dye only needed 42 rushing yards to eclipse 3,000 for his Ducks career.

Dye did not waste any time securing his spot in school history, eclipsing 42 yards in the first quarter of the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma.

Dye is now the fifth player in school history to reach 3,000 yards on the ground, behind Royce Freeman, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, and Derek Loville.

Dye took over as the lead back for Oregon after CJ Verdell suffered a season-ending injury against Ohio State early in the season, and coming into Wednesday’s game he had rushed for 1,118 yards and 15 touchdowns in one of the most impressive individual seasons from a running back in school history.

As of this writing, Oregon trails Oklahoma 6-3 at the start of the second quarter as they look to finish the season on a high note, even with multiple key players opting out of the contest.

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Oregon Ducks hopes to end up and down 2021 on a positive note in San Antonio

Oregon and Oklahoma will enter the Alamo Bowl a bit shorthanded, but both will try to make the best of it and end 2021 on a winning note.

So much has happened in the last three weeks that the loss in the Pac-12 championship seems like five years ago.

Oregon enters the Alamo Bowl with an interim head coach in Bryan McClendon and will be missing key personnel as Oklahoma awaits the Ducks.

Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and wide receiver Devon Williams highlight several other Ducks who have either opted out of the bowl game in favor of their future or are too injured to play.

“We’re having to dig into some depth at some different spots. But most of it is all bumps and bruises associated with play,” McClendon said. “I think what we have to do is make sure that the guys are able to step up. It’s given guys some opportunities to be able to do that.”

The Sooners, however, are far from 100 percent as they will also be missing starters on both sides of the ball including linebacker Nik Bonitto, defensive end Isaiah Thomas and quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Oklahoma interim coach Bob Stoops will be dealing with the same situation as Oregon and while they will be missing some offensive players, most of their opt-outs are on defense.

“You’re not going to play with nine, 10 guys. We’re going to have 11 guys out there. These young guys want an opportunity and they’re good players,” he said. I’ve loved the energy, the way they’ve been playing on defense and practicing. I think Coach Odom has done an awesome job with those guys.

“Most of those guys are all up front. But we have some depth up there. These young guys that are going to get more snaps have to step up and play. But they’re capable of playing well. It will be a challenge.”

The opt outs will give other players the chance to shine who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have that much time on the field.

One guy Oklahoma will definitely be paying attention to will be tailback Travis Dye. Even though he rotated in and out with CJ Verdell before he got hurt, Dye was never the main guy in the backfield. When he got the chance, Dye made the most of it with is 1,118 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns.

“It was nice that guys looked at me to step up after CJ (Verdell) went down, and it was just nice to put in the work and the results come out like the way you want them to, like any running back wants it to,” Dye said. “But like you said, all I care about is winning, and the rest of the stuff will come.”

Dye and the rest of the Ducks will have one more chance to get in the win column in 2021. A victory would give Oregon an 11-win season and a nice jumping-off point for the Dan Lanning Era in 2022.

The Alamo Bowl is scheduled for a 6:20 kickoff and will be televised on ESPN.

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ESPN highlights Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams as Sooners’ player to watch in bowl game versus Oregon

ESPN tabbed true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams as its player to watch in Oklahoma’s bowl game against Oregon.

Oklahoma’s season finale versus Oregon in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 is less than two weeks out.

The Sooners are a program in transition with Bob Stoops set to serve as Oklahoma’s interim head coach against the Ducks.

All of the storylines surrounding Lincoln Riley’s departure, the hiring of new head coach Brent Venables and true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams’ future should make OU a captivating watch once the game finally kicks off.

ESPN’s David Wilson highlighted Williams as the Oklahoma player to watch against Oregon.

QB Caleb Williams. Lincoln Riley has always played an outsized role in working with quarterbacks, being their position coach and calling all the plays. The Sooners have the extended bowl practices to get up to speed, but Williams will be adjusting to new voices in his ear. – Wilson, ESPN

Bob Stoops confirmed in his press conference yesterday that Cale Gundy would serve as Oklahoma’s offensive play-caller against Oregon.

“Coach Gundy will call the offense. Of course, he and coach Bedenbaugh are co-offensive coordinators. They’ll put the pass and the run together. Joe Jon Finley’s in his same position, coach Bedenbaugh is, DeMarco Murray is. Conner McQueen, one of our young assistants that was off the field will help in the offensive room. Ty Darlington will coach quarterbacks. He’s been in coach Riley’s room every day for the last two years, so he understands how that all goes,” Stoops said.

Stoops thanked several assistant coaches for returning to coach in OU’s bowl game and further detailed how the rest of the staff would line up versus the Ducks.

“I really appreciate Calvin Thibodeaux, Brian Odom and Jamar Cain came back to help our guys finish and they’ve been in the office working on game plan. They want to finish this with a win and help our players get an opportunity to win. Appreciate that. Brian Odom will be the one to put it together. He kind of is the front and the back along with Will Johnson, one of our grad assistants that’s been here for the last four or five years. Knows our system inside and out. Along with those guys, he will help in the secondary,” Stoops said.

Ryan Dougherty is set to serve as OU’s special teams coordinator with help from Finley. Graduate assistants Austin Woods, Parker Henry and Clayton Woods are also set to take on increased roles.

ESPN’s Wilson also highlighted Stoops as one of the key storylines to watch for Oklahoma.

Sooners fans have fallen even harder for the ever-loyal Bob Stoops in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure, and will be thrilled to see the OG visor back on the sideline. For a season that ended in absolute shock, it’s a rare positive for this year’s Sooners, who, aside from a thrilling second half against Texas, otherwise underwhelmed in a season that began with national championship aspirations. – Wilson, ESPN

There’s no question that Stoops has helped further cement his legacy with the Oklahoma fanbase through his willingness to return as interim head coach.

ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti chose Oregon running back Travis Dye as his player to watch for the Ducks.

Travis Dye. When starting running back CJ Verdell suffered a leg injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season, the Ducks needed someone to step up. Over the next eight games of the season, Dye was a revelation. The rare running back who wears no gloves soon became a reliable safety valve for an Oregon offense that badly needed it. In the process, he totaled over 1,000 rushing yards and a combined 28 touchdowns (20 rushing, eight through the air). – Uggetti, ESPN

Oregon is transitioning through a head coaching change of its own and Uggetti mentioned that as his storyline to watch for the Ducks. Mario Cristobal left Oregon to become the head coach at Miami and the Ducks subsequently hired Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to be their next head coach.

With Mario Cristobal gone to Miami and Kayvon Thibodeaux officially heading to the NFL, Oregon is left picking up the pieces and looking ahead to next season. There’s a good chance the Ducks will have a head coach by the time this bowl game is played, which will likely overshadow any storyline in this matchup between two teams that have lost their head coach. And depending on whom they hire, the Ducks might be in need of some good news on the field ahead of next season. – Uggetti, ESPN

The Valero Alamo bowl is slated for an 8:15 kickoff on ESPN.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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WATCH: Travis Dye scores on Ducks’ opening drive against Beavers

Oregon running back Travis Dye scored on the Ducks opening drive, scampering 20 yards for a touchdown on fourth down to give his team an early lead.

The Oregon Ducks got off to a great start on Saturday against the Oregon State Beavers, completing a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run on fourth down from running back Travis Dye.

The Ducks never need extra motivation to beat the Beavers, especially at home, but a win secures a Pac-12 North title and a rematch with the Utah Utes – who handily defeated Oregon last Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Dye was notably underutilized in that Utah game, so Oregon fans are no doubt thrilled to see him get off to such a strong start in this one.

Dye has been Oregon’s best offensive player after a season-ending injury to No. 1 running back CJ Verdell early in the season, rushing for 937 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns coming into this game.

He now has 13 on the year and is a near lock to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards on the season, which shatters his previous career high.

Oregon is up 14-0 in the middle of the first quarter.

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Travis Dye undecided on if he will return to Oregon Ducks in 2022

Travis Dye said this week that he is still undecided on if he will return to the Ducks in 2022 or not.

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As the Oregon Ducks football season winds to a close and we prepare for Senior Night, we are looking to the players who could potentially participate in the ceremonies.

While the university is yet to tell us which players will be honored, fans are left a bit in the dark, especially this year with so many players given an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic-shortened season. For example, starting center Alex Forsyth announced earlier this week that he will be returning in 2022 despite already playing four seasons with the Ducks.

So what does starting RB Travis Dye plan to do next year? According to the 4th-year junior, he isn’t quite sure just yet. However, he did say that he won’t be participating in the senior night activities on Saturday.

“I haven’t decided no, but I’m leaning on I’m probably not going to,” Dye said this week. “It’s Senior Day; it’s important for the seniors to get their shine and their recognition and I don’t want to take anything away from them.”

If Dye were to return next season, it would be a boost for the Oregon backfield, but also has the potential to give them a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, with Byron Cardwell, Trey Benson, Sean Dollars, and Seven McGee all looking for reps. There is also the possibility that CJ Verdell returns again next year after missing much of this season with a foot injury.

Players who have competed in four years of college football are being entered into the 2022 NFL Draft, per an agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, and have until Feb. 4 to opt-out and return to college.

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Making Grades: Oregon shows tremendous prowess in defeating Washington

The Ducks should be happy with this report card. They got the job done on the field and avoided embarrassing themselves off of it.

The scoreboard won’t tell the entire story of this game. Oregon defeated Washington by a mere 10 points, 26-16, but it wasn’t even that close. Once the Ducks found themselves down 9-3 in the first quarter, they had enough juice to get going and thoroughly beat their rivals up north despite the rainstorm.

Travis Dye outgained the Dawgs all by himself with 211 yards on the ground. Washington’s ground game of 55 yards was non-existent and one could say Oregon gave the Huskies most of their points. They had one legitimate drive against the Ducks, with the others coming from a 6-yard TD and a safety.

In the midst of Oregon’s win, frustrations boiled over on the Huskies’ sidelines with head coach Jimmy Lake striking and shoving a walk-on player, and then on Sunday, Washington fired offensive coordinator John Donovan.

But on the other sideline, Oregon kept to themselves and eventually got the last laugh. The Ducks are No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-12 North.

Here’s how the Ducks graded out with the big win in Seattle.

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QUARTERBACK

Grade: Pass/Incomplete

Giving Anthony Brown a “pass” for his grade isn’t a cop-out, but we just feel giving him a letter grade wouldn’t be appropriate. The passing game was severely hampered because of the weather and as the game played out, Oregon saw that Brown’s arm just wasn’t needed to be on display as much.

After a rough start that saw an interception returned to the Washington 6-yard line, Brown played well. He gave the Ducks the lead for good with a nice 31-yard touchdown pass to Devon Williams. We’re confident Brown’s talents will be on display more this week against Washington State.

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