Oregon Offensive Keys to the Game vs. California

How will the Oregon offense move forward without CJ Verdell?

Coming off of the bye week the Oregon offense has had to deal with a lot in therms of absences. Joe Moorhead is still recovering from his hospitalization lest week, and the elephant in the room, how will they replace CJ Verdell in the backfield? Oregon still has everything to play for and the offense needs to start rebuilding their season right now.

1. Replace CJ Verdell’s workload

This will be very difficult, but Oregon does have some talent in the running back room that we will surely see on display against Cal. Of course, Travis Dye will be the primary back for the Ducks, with Mario Cristobal being confident that Dye can carry the ball as much as 20 times a game---something Dye hasn’t come close to in his college career. 

The Ducks also have three freshmen that will surely enter the picture as well. Trey Benson, Byron Cardwell and Seven McGee are all potential options to get carries with Verdell out, and they are all strong in different situations. It will be interesting to see how the running back rotation unfolds going forward. In order for this offense to hum and maintain its 210.4 rushing yards per game (4th in Pac-12), someone will need to step up.

2. Minimize the impact of Joe Moorhead's potential absence

We don't know if Joe Moorhead will be available for Oregon on Friday yet. For what it's worth, on Tuesday Mario Cristobal said, "We'll see. Don't know yet," in regard to Moorhead's coaching availability against Cal. If Oregon's offensive coordinator isn't available, it'd be a notable disadvantage for the Ducks to overcome.

It’s tough to quantify what Moorhead means to this offense play calling wise, but it’s clear that he's an innovative mind that helps get the most out of the offense and keep opposing defenses on their heels. Moorhead is also the quarterbacks coach, and if Anthony Brown continues to struggle, his presence as a calming voice could be a big deal for him. Hopefully Moorhead is at the game, but if not these are some things to be concerned about.

3. Anthony Brown consistency on reads

Ever since the first half of the Stony Brook game, Anthony Brown has had his fair share of struggles on the football field. One of those is misreading what he should do on these option looks. 

There have been multiple times where he runs it himself instead of pitching to the running back, and it's proved costly, most recently in the Stanford game in the final minutes of the first half. There are other times where he locks in on one receiver when another is wide open. 

These are things you shouldn't be seeing from a sixth-year quarterback, but unfortunately it's been common this season. So that's something I'd love to see cleaned up on Friday. If Brown can make the correct reads, the offense could mirror more of what we saw in the Ohio State game than what unfolded two weeks ago in Palo Alto.

More from Ducks Digest

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