Five RB Stats To Remember From 2018
01/09/19 | Football
Following the graduation of the Pac-12's all-time leading rusher Royce Freeman, Oregon was in search of a new leader in the backfield next to quarterback Justin Herbert entering 2018. The combo of freshmen CJ Verdell and Travis Dye gave the Ducks a one-two punch in 2018 that has Oregon fans excited about the future of the ground game..
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Five Running Back Stats To Remember From 2018
1. Fueled by a combined nine 100-yard rushing games, CJ Verdell and Travis Dye finished as one of two FBS freshman running back combos – ONLY one in the Power 5 – with over 700 yards rushing each in 2018. Verdell and Dye were the first Power 5 freshman RB duo with over 700 rushing yards in the same season since Georgia's Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall in 2012.
2. Verdell finished his first season of collegiate action as the ONLY Power 5 player and one of two FBS players with at least 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving in 2018. Verdell is just the third player in Oregon history to accomplish the feat, joining Terrence Whitehead (2004) and Royce Freeman (2015).
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3. In addition to being the only Power 5 player with 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving, Verdell was the ONLY FBS player in 2018 to score four TDs on the ground and another through the air in a single game. Verdell's five-TD performance came in the regular-season finale against Oregon State, where he scored the first three TDs of the game during Oregon's 55-15 Civil War victory. He was the first Pac-12 player with four rushing TDs and one receiving TD in a league game since 2011.
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4. Verdell's five-TD afternoon was not the only record-breaking statistic from Oregon's dominating Civil War win to end the regular season. Dye rushed for a program freshman record 199 yards on 33 carries, while Verdell produced 187 yards on the ground, good for second-best total by a freshman in Oregon history. It also marked the first time in program history that Oregon had two players rush for 180 yards in the same game, and they joined Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall of Pittsburgh as the only duos to accomplish the feat in 2018. In fact, Dye and Verdell was the first Power 5 duo to each rush for over 180 yards on the road against a Power 5 opponent since Ohio State's Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller did it at Illinois in 2013.
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5. Oregon's freshman trio of Dye, Verdell and Cyrus Habibi-Likio accounted for 77 percent (1,793) of the team's rushing yards and 21 of 28 TDs on the ground in 2018. Verdell (10) and Habibi-Likio (7) were one of three FBS freshman duos to each score at least seven rushing TDs in 2018.
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Five Running Back Stats To Remember From 2018
1. Fueled by a combined nine 100-yard rushing games, CJ Verdell and Travis Dye finished as one of two FBS freshman running back combos – ONLY one in the Power 5 – with over 700 yards rushing each in 2018. Verdell and Dye were the first Power 5 freshman RB duo with over 700 rushing yards in the same season since Georgia's Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall in 2012.
2. Verdell finished his first season of collegiate action as the ONLY Power 5 player and one of two FBS players with at least 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving in 2018. Verdell is just the third player in Oregon history to accomplish the feat, joining Terrence Whitehead (2004) and Royce Freeman (2015).
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3. In addition to being the only Power 5 player with 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving, Verdell was the ONLY FBS player in 2018 to score four TDs on the ground and another through the air in a single game. Verdell's five-TD performance came in the regular-season finale against Oregon State, where he scored the first three TDs of the game during Oregon's 55-15 Civil War victory. He was the first Pac-12 player with four rushing TDs and one receiving TD in a league game since 2011.
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4. Verdell's five-TD afternoon was not the only record-breaking statistic from Oregon's dominating Civil War win to end the regular season. Dye rushed for a program freshman record 199 yards on 33 carries, while Verdell produced 187 yards on the ground, good for second-best total by a freshman in Oregon history. It also marked the first time in program history that Oregon had two players rush for 180 yards in the same game, and they joined Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall of Pittsburgh as the only duos to accomplish the feat in 2018. In fact, Dye and Verdell was the first Power 5 duo to each rush for over 180 yards on the road against a Power 5 opponent since Ohio State's Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller did it at Illinois in 2013.
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5. Oregon's freshman trio of Dye, Verdell and Cyrus Habibi-Likio accounted for 77 percent (1,793) of the team's rushing yards and 21 of 28 TDs on the ground in 2018. Verdell (10) and Habibi-Likio (7) were one of three FBS freshman duos to each score at least seven rushing TDs in 2018.
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