Oregon has a deep and talented running back group in 2021, led by the dynamic duo of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye.
It’s been a long time, if ever, when the running back position has been this deep and this talented on the Oregon Ducks football roster.
Thanks to several years of top-notch recruiting, that statement can be said of nearly every position group. But when it comes to the running backs, it’s nice to know that Oregon has two backs that could start on most Pac-12 teams with CJ Verdell and Travis Dye.
Beyond that pair, the Ducks could insert a number of redshirt or true freshmen and feel comfortable that there wouldn’t be a severe drop-off in production.
This might be the season where Oregon gets to see what Sean Dollars is fully capable of. Still considered a redshirt freshman because of the pandemic, 2021 will be Dollars’ third season in the Duck program. Coming out of Mater Dei High School, Dollars was the No. 2 tailback in the nation. Oregon is hoping his injuries are finally in his past and that Dollars can hit paydirt in the end zone many times this season.
Who are the other players that might see the field, though? Here’s our prediction, with a breakdown of each player.
The running back duo of Travis Dye and CJ Verdell will represent the Oregon Ducks on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented annually to the best running back in college football.
Oregon is no stranger to Doak Walker Award buzz, with five semifinalists in the past 10 seasons, including LaMichael James winning the award in 2010.
This is the first watch list appearance for Dye and the third for Verdell, who enters the 2021 season with 2,523 rushing yards after becoming the fifth Duck ever to rush for 1,000 or more yards in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.
However, it was Dye who led the Ducks in rushing yards during the pandemic shortened 2020 campaign, finishing with 443 rushing yards and 239 receiving yards – the only player in the Pac-12 last year with over 400 rushing and 200 receiving yards.
Oregon’s defense is likely going to be the calling card next season, but surrounding quarterback Anthony Brown with playmakers like Dye and Verdell, not to mention Mycah Pittman and Jaylon Redd, should keep this team squarely in the playoff conversation all year long.
Led by CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, the Ducks running backs might be the best duo the country has to offer.
The Oregon Ducks have enjoyed the services of a lot of quality running backs in its history, but the dynamic duo of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye has the chance to eventually go down as one of the best.
Both are juniors that already have plenty of accolades attached to their names. Verdell has already gone on record as to saying he wants to rush for 2,000 yards this season. Oregon has never had a tailback go for 2,000 yards in a single season, but if someone has a chance to do it, Verdell could be the guy.
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Oregon will most likely rely on its running game this season with an inexperienced Pac-12 quarterback calling the signals, so offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead will likely be calling Verdell’s number a lot throughout the year.
Having his number called in virtually every situation is something Verdell is used to. In his freshman season, he rushed the ball 202 times in 13 games for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns. Verdell equaled his initial success his sophomore season with 198 rushing attempts for 1,220 yards and eight scores. In 2020, the junior was slowed by a couple of injuries that allowed him to just gain 285 yards (57 ypg) in five contests and three touchdowns.
Now fully healthy, Verdell believes he and his team is due for a monster season.
“The main goal here ever since Coach Cristobal took over the program and going in the direction we’ve been going is to definitely get into that playoff and win a national championship,” he said in a press conference last week.
If those goals are to be accomplished, Verdell is going to need Dye to shoulder some of the load. Dye is the speed back with Verdell’s power.
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No longer considered Troy Dye’s younger brother, Travis has turned into a quality tailback himself and is a weapon receiving the ball as well. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Dye has 37 career receptions for 467 yards and six touchdowns through the air.
When Verdell was sidelined much of the latter half of 2020 with a thumb injury, Dye became the starting tailback where he flourished. In those seven games, he gained 443 yards and averaged nearly seven yards per carry.
In goal-line situations, the Ducks relied on Cyrus Habibi-Likio, but the power back decided to move on to Boise State, leaving those situations to Verdell and Dye.
Behind those two main tailbacks, redshirt freshman Sean Dollars was looking to see more playing time, but he suffered a considerable leg injury, so he won’t see action until the middle of the season, according to Cristobal.
True freshman Seven McGee, a four-star recruit from Rochester, NY, won’t be on campus until June. So Aaron Smith, a 5-11, 205-pounder from San Jose, Calif. has received the other snaps in Spring practice. Whether he sees the field come September remains to be seen, but just being able to get those early reps in is going to be invaluable to him.
The experience and explosiveness brought by Verdell and Dye have a chance to put Oregon’s running game among the best in the NCAA.
The last couple of decades of Ducks football has been buoyed by the presence and performances from Oregon running backs. You have Maurice Morris, Onterrio Smith, Jonathan Stewart, Jeremiah Johnson, LaMichael James, and Kenjon Barner, Want to keep going? Throw in De’Anthony Thomas, Royce Freeman, Byron Marshall, LeGarrette Blount, and Thomas Tyner.
No matter what year we are focusing on, Oregon has had at least one proficient or dominant runner in the backfield, and the 2021-22 season looks to be no different with the return of C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye.
With years of experience and lofty goals, the duo plans to be among the best tandem in the NCAA this season.
“I believe that we are the best 1-2 punch in the Pac-12, if not the nation,” Dye said, via Duck Territory’s Erik Skopil. “Of course we’re going to say that, but we’re going to show that this year for sure.”
So far, both backs have proven that they can be dangerous with the ball. Verdell currently ranks 9th on Oregon’s all-time rushing list, with 2,523 total yards, and 23 total touchdowns. His time with the Ducks has been cut short by injury as well, missing the final two games of the 2020 season with a broken wrist.
Dye is lower on the all-time list, sitting at No. 21 with 1,840 total yards and 11 touchdowns. However, Oregon has been formidable and reliable in the running game since those two have taken over, and that trend could very well continue this season. There are other young players like Sean Dollars or Trey Benson that might get some run early in the season, but when crunch time comes around, you can expect to see No. 7 or No. 26 line up in the backfield.
