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The Ducks ran left like NASCAR, the Oregonian’s played key roles and a note on a day Cam McCormick will never forget.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The I-5 Corridor is a CJ Verdell-positive publication.
Simply, when Oregon’s junior running back is operating at full capacity, his ceiling-level production ranks right up there with the best running backs in Oregon history.
He looked very healthy Saturday, rushing for 161 yards and three touchdowns to key Oregon’s upset win of Ohio State. The last of which was a 77-yarder that saw the four-year starter survive a last bit of contact in the final 10 yards.
“The dude that was chasing me, I don’t remember his number,” Verdell said of Ohio State’s Cameron Brown, No. 26. “I just heard his breath. That let me know how close he was behind me.”
Verdell’s first two touchdowns came on a pair of 14-yard runs along the left edge. The first saw him run behind guard Ryan Walk, who pulled over from the right side. The second — on fourth-and-1 — the Ducks used a pair of tight ends to seal the edge while left tackle Dawson Jaramillo escorted Verdell to the end zone for the 14-7 lead.
A week after the offensive line and ground game looked suspect in a one-score win over Fresno, Oregon’s 7.08 yards per carry is the highest output the Buckeyes have allowed since 2014. Ohio State tallied just one tackle in the backfield.
“Obviously, we want to be physical up front,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “We established the ground game and kept it going throughout the game. Even some of those muddy yards that are three and four-yard shots, those are like body blows.”
A healthy Verdell tends to mean less Travis Dye, but Oregon’s other junior running back still managed 43 yards on eight carries, including a 6-yard touchdown — running around the left edge, too.
The Dye name has been associated with Oregon since 2016, when Travis’ older brother Troy, a linebacker, made his Oregon debut. Travis got to Eugene in 2018, has seen the progress from a 4-8 2016 season to now, and I asked him what the difference is between this Oregon team and those preceding it. Why was Oregon ready to win this game now, when even the Rose Bowl-winning 2019 Ducks weren’t ready to beat Auburn in their opener two years ago?
“To be honest it was a mindset,” Dye said. “Every single person on this team, not for one second, didn’t think we couldn’t win this game. Every single person on this team prepared their butts off every single day to win this game. So shout out goes to the whole team, the whole squad, the entire staff. We all did it and it was wonderful.”
A week ago I wrote that Anthony Brown Jr. looked relatively joyless in Oregon’s opening win and that probably wasn’t fair. He just has, as center Alex Forsyth said last week, a personality that doesn’t vary much through highs and lows.
Brown didn’t just come to Oregon to win in Week 2 and I think he carries himself with that perspective.
Brown also didn’t come to Oregon to slide. My goodness.
Brown has a pair of surgically-repaired knees and a strong arm, a combination that led me to believe that, while athletic, Brown’s legs wouldn’t be a commonly used weapon. But through two games, Brown’s running has really opened up Joe Moorhead’s run-pass option offense, and his finishing ability conjures up memories of Jeremiah Masoli and the late 2000s Oregon teams.
Seriously, look at him fight for this first down with a lowered shoulder.
Through two weeks, Brown has 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and has yet to turn the ball over on the ground or through the air. He even had a little fun during the press conference.
Reporter:
“Anthony, how effective do you think the run-pass option was? Because it seemed like it kept them on their toes, not knowing if it was going to be a run, or a dump-off pass or play down field.”
Brown:
“It was very effective, but, like, you kind of answered your question within your own question.”
Oregon’s recruiting footprint has expanded in the four seasons under Cristobal, pushing out from the West Coast and to the doorsteps of the best talent in Texas, the South and the East Coast. It’s a necessity for the Ducks — it’s not just USC they’re competing with for talent in Southern California anymore, and the Ducks have only signed two players from the state of Oregon over the last three classes.
So it was a special moment for the program to beat Ohio State, for the first time in nine tries, with two Oregonians on the offensive line — Ryan Walk and Alex Forsyth — along with Keith Brown, a freshman, playing extensive snaps at linebacker.
Brown, from Lebanon, could see major minutes moving forward if Justin Flowe’s absence is extended, while Walk (Sheldon) and Forsyth (West Linn) have turned into the two pillars of the offensive line.
“This is one of the hardest places to play in college football,” Forsyth said. “…I wasn’t shocked by the result today, but I sure as heck was excited.”
It’s been setback after setback for Oregon tight end Cam McCormick the last three seasons, and unfortunately the senior from Bend had another on Saturday.
He played in his first game since 2018 last week and McCormick started on Saturday — a monumental occasion considering his route back to the field. But he left the game in the second quarter and it was sobering to see him hobbling around the field in a walking boot after time expired while teammates ran around in chaos around him.
But maybe it’s not the tragedy it appears. Sure, it’s unfortunate McCormick got hurt. But pressed up against Oregon’s three-yard line, he hauled in a 16-yard reception on third down, moving the chains against the No. 3 team in the country. And while that’s the play that injured him, it meant something.
From Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com:
From McCormick:
And from Cristobal after the Fresno game:
“Hats off to him,” Cristobal said. “He’s a tremendous competitor. I mean nothing but admiration, love and respect to him. I don’t know how many people would actually be able to stick it out like he has, so credit to him.”
Didn’t get a ton of great shots yesterday, but here’s a couple from the trip out here to Columbus. Thanks to everyone who followed along this weekend. Thanks to my friends Derek and Emily for putting me up in their guest room and, more than anything, thanks to Waffle House for being everything I needed it to be this morning.
— Tyson Alger
