Outside of teammates, running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye are roommates and best friends.
And now, as a duo, they’re Oregon record holders.
In Oregon’s 55-15 victory over the Oregon State Beavers, Verdell and Dye combined for all but six of Oregon’s 392 total rushing yards, and all but one of eight Oregon touchdowns. The feat marks the first time in the program’s history that two players each rushed for over 180 yards in a single game.
“Travis is a speedy guy that can really find really good lanes in the running game, and CJ is one for putting his head down,” offensive lineman Shane Lemieux said. “I know that with either of those backs in, they’re not scared to fight for those extra few yards. … They’re key for us.”
In the first quarter, with Oregon starting on the Oregon 33-yard line, Dye carried the ball four consecutive times to reach Oregon State’s 27-yard line. Verdell then ran a brief five yards before receiving a 21-yard pass from quarterback Justin Herbert, landing him in the end zone. Out of the 67 yards of the drive, 46 of them were on the ground thanks to Dye and Verdell.
Both running backs said they knew Oregon wanted to run the ball as much as possible entering today’s 122nd Civil War matchup. Yet, when Herbert went out with an injury right before halftime, neither of them probably expected they’d still have career nights.
“At halftime, the coaches came up to me and Trav and just told us, ‘Hey Justin is down. We’re gonna run the ball. You guys got to finish out for us,’” Verdell said. “And that’s what we did.”
Verdell, a redshirt freshman, rushed for a career-high 187 yards and scored five touchdowns — tying the most amount in a single game by a Duck since 2012. The game marked his fifth this season with 100+ rushing yards.
“He just keeps getting better,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Him and Travis they had some open holes but they ran it hard. … CJ, he’s another guy that’s just scratching the surface. He’s a freshman and he’s getting better and better and so is Travis.”
In the fourth quarter, Dye was handed the ball from quarterback Braxton Burmeister, who was filling in for an injured Herbert. Dye sliced and diced his way through a handful Oregon State defenders until he found a clean, open 39-yard run to the end zone.
“That’s my guy, that’s my dude,” Verdell said. “Me and Trav, that’s my roommate, that’s my best and I just couldn’t be more happy for that guy. He had a great game. I can’t explain this feeling right now.”
Dye, who also had a career-high night, ended just one yard short of 200, for his third game surpassing the 100-yard mark. The 199-yard game by Dye is best for the school’s freshman single-game record. He scored two rushing touchdowns for the Ducks as well.
“It’s surreal. It’s definitely surreal,” Dye said. “Me and CJ, we wanted this since the beginning, since fall camp we wanted this. And just to see it happen in front of our face, in front of our eyes, it’s everything.”
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni
