On Saturday afternoon, with the sun shining down on Autzen Stadium, Oregon football ran its first snap with fans in attendance since November of 2019.
The scrimmage capped off the Ducks’ third week of spring practices, giving the 1,500 fans in attendance their first look at the 2021 Ducks.
On the first play, running back CJ Verdell broke loose a 70-yard touchdown run.
Verdell, who rushed for 1,000 yards in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, missed most of the 2020 season due to a thumb injury. Now healthy, the California native is set to be the lead running back in 2021.
“Like I’ve said 1,000 times, I believe CJ Verdell is the best back in the country,” running backs coach Jim Mastro said. “CJ is as dynamic as they come. He is the complete package. If he stays healthy, which he will, the sky’s the limit for him and Travis [Dye], and right now Cross [Patton].”
Patton has stepped in for Sean Dollars, who was expected to be Oregon’s third back behind veterans Verdell and Dye, but suffered a significant leg injury that has him sidelined until the fall.
So far, Patton has impressed.
“Cross Patton has probably had the best camp of all these guys,” Mastro said. “Pound-for- pound he’s probably the toughest guy on our team. We knew he had this in him because we saw it last year on the scout team.”
On the defensive side, Oregon’s linebackers are becoming more comfortable under new coordinator Tim DeRuyter. Anchored by veterans Isaac Slade-Matautua and Mase Funa, the position group has been adjusting to DeRuyter’s scheme during spring practice.
It’s not all new, however. Slade-Matautia and Funa commented that while there are some adjustments to make, such as players likeKayvon Thibodeaux’s rumored positional change, there are similarities from years past.
“The terms and schemes and the install is much simpler,” Slade-Matautia said. “It helps having guys who are veterans… you can trust those guys to do their part.”
After their performance on Saturday, linebackers coach Ken Wilson felt there are things to work on moving forward.
“The play on the field was a little erratic,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of work to do… we need to keep our effort and intensity up.”
Wilson mentioned that since it’s early in the year, he didn’t expect his group to be perfect, but instead focused on using the scrimmage as an opportunity to learn and get better.
Head coach Mario Cristobal crowned the offense as the “winners” of the scrimmage.
“All in all, it was the offense’s day,” Cristobal said. “As competitive as it’s been, today the offense certainly took control of most of the team periods.”
Oregon will have another scrimmage next weekend in preparation for the annual spring game on May 1.
