The jaws of players, coaches and fans dropped as the ball slipped from CJ Verdell’s hands with less than a minute to play. A sense of disbelief and frustration seeped through the crowd of yellow and green as Stanford triumphed over Oregon, 38-31, and no one felt worse about it than Verdell himself.
Ever since that devastating defeat against the Cardinal in 2018, during his freshman year, Verdell has been itching to face them again and satisfy his vengeance.
“Ever since that thing happened, two years ago, the fumble, that’s been on my mind,” he said. “I’ve been waiting to get this chance to play these guys back at home. It was definitely a satisfying feeling.”
Verdell and the Ducks experienced some low points, but his teammates and coaches have continuously pushed him to move forward.
“We always tell each other, move on to the next play,” he said. “You gotta flush it. You can’t dwell on a bad play and let it lead to more bad plays.”
Head coach Mario Cristobal, who was in his first year at Oregon when the fumble occurred, never lost sight of Verdell’s talents, despite the undeniable frustration the team felt from that loss.
“CJ rushing for over a hundred yards, sometimes we take that for granted, but — I guess the outside world does, we don’t,” he said. “We know CJ’s a great player and feel he’s one of the best in the country.”
Beyond Verdell’s redemption, the offense as a whole has taken on an entirely new look, featuring quarterback Tyler Shough and a new play-caller in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. Verdell feels comfortable with where he fits into that unit, and it has clearly benefited his performance through the first two games as he’s run for a total of 223 yards.
“I love how he likes to give running backs outer space,” Verdell said of Moorhead, “and just how he uses us, whether it be the running game or the passing game. So I think he’s definitely making us a lot more diverse.”
Verdell carried the momentum from his 105-yard rushing performance in the Stanford game into Saturday’s matchup against Washington State, where he topped that with 118 rushing yards.
The new-look offensive line also played a major factor in Oregon’s win over Washington State. Verdell has been effusive in his praise for them.
“Man, those guys are great,” Verdell said. “I can’t say enough about those guys. They did an unbelievable job [on Saturday]. We just gotta keep pushing, because it’s only up from here.”
Despite a successful first two games, Verdell’s redemption tour is not over just yet. Last season, he often missed portions of second halves of games due to injuries, which contributed to him ending the year with six games with 11 or fewer carries. It makes it all the more impressive that he’s still recorded the ninth-most rushing yards in Oregon Ducks history, right ahead of Jeremiah Johnson and behind Ricky Whittle.
With two games down, it’s clear that this offense is already clicking and gelling together, especially within the running backs room.
“We’re a great group,” Dye said. “We love each other’s success. That’s what I love about this group. It’s never a selfish kind of thing. If CJ gets a good play, I’m right there next to him cheering him on, and vice versa with all of us.”
Verdell knows that Dye, as well as the rest of his teammates and all of his coaches, will continue to support him regardless of any mistakes or misplays he may have made in the past. With a team chemistry that emphasizes supporting each other and lifting each other up, the potential is limitless for Verdell and the Ducks’ offense.
