Previewing Oregon Football's Run Game Ahead of Fall Camp

How will the Ducks' ground game fair after losing their top two running backs last season?

The Oregon Ducks are entering a defining football season in 2022. A completely new coaching staff, a disappointing end to the 2021 season, and conference realignment issues all leave Oregon with high expectations to meet.

Under former head coach Mario Cristobal, Oregon had a ground-and-pound, trench monster mentality. Offensively, Oregon's main goal with Cristobal was to win the game by running through their opponent.

But what's the offense's identity now?

An educated guess would be a switch in offensive ideology. New offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham is something of a quarterback guru who will get the chance to reunite with former pupil Bo Nix and a talented group of wide receivers at Autzen Stadium.

READ MORE: Five-star PF Kwame 'KJ' Evans Jr. commits to Oregon

A more pass-heavy offense makes sense for both Oregon's coaching staff and their roster. Oregon's top two backs from last season, CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, have moved on from the program. Verdell is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts, while Dye transferred to conference rival USC.

Despite all this, the Ducks still have some major pieces coming back that helped them field the second-best rushing offense in the Pac-12 last season. All of that starts up front with the offense line. 

All five of last season's starting offensive linemen for the Ducks are back for what projects to be one last ride. Alex Forsyth, Ryan Walk, TJ Bass, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Steven Jones announced together in the beginning of the year that they would be returning to Eugene.

Throughout injuries that plagued the entire Oregon squad as well as the O-line, Bass stood tall. The Northern California native started all 14 games and played a team-high 931 offensive snaps 2021. Bass received the highest PFF grade out of any Oregon player last season, and was tied for the third-best run blocker in the Pac-12 by PFF.

Joining the veterans is Oregon's men up front is another impressive haul of offensive linemen from the 202 signing class. Five-star Josh Conerly Jr., four-star Dave Iuli, and three-stars Michael Wooten and Kawika Rogers will have excellent teachers to learn from this season. Add in solid depth pieces like Jackson Powers-Johnson, Dawson Jamarillo and Marcus Harper II, and Oregon is more than set in run blocking.

READ MORE: Oregon lands Texas 4-star DL Terrance Green

And at the running back position, the Ducks have an exciting set of playmakers. The top returning back Byron Cardwell. He racked up 417 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 61 carries and had multiple strong performances as a freshman backing up Dye last season. 

Cardwell was extremely effective, leading the Pac in yards per carry last season with 6.84 yards per attempt. Giving Cardwell more room to run could open up the whole offense.

An underrated transfer portal move for Oregon was the addition of Minnesota running back Mar'kiese Irving. In his first year of college ball, Irving led Minnesota in all-purpose yards and put up three 100-yard rushing performances. Young, yet experienced -- Irving is the perfect addition to Oregon's running back room.

The Ducks also added Western Kentucky running back Noah Wittington, who rushed for 617 yards as a freshman with the Hilltoppers. Oregon brings back Sean Dollars, who flirted with the transfer portal and flipped Jordan James from Georgia.

Even if Oregon is a pass-heavy team in 2022, their success will have to start on the ground. And the Ducks have a unique blend of youth and veterans in their run game.  New running backs coach Carlos Locklyn projects to continue the storied tradition of prolific backs in Eugene.

Join the Community

Follow Graham on Twitter: @grahammetzker

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to have the latest Oregon Ducks news sent directly to your inbox

Join the discussion on our forums HERE