Oregon Football: 3 takeaways from shocking upset of No. 3 Ohio State

2. CJ Verdell is a pro

There was some concern about rust after Week 1 when CJ Verdell had just 74 yards on 18 carries, averaging under five per carry. He looked like he was struggling to find running lanes and the offense didn’t seem to have a ton of success on the ground.

But the talent has always been there.

Verdell set some lofty goals for himself before the season, stating that he wanted to reach 2,000 rushing yards this season, but that didn’t seem all that realistic. After the opener, it looked like it was just a pipe dream. But against the No. 3 team in the country, the junior running back looked like a superstar and helped lead the offense all afternoon long.

When the Ducks needed a big first down on third-and-3 to start the second half, Verdell took it upon himself to pick it up and then some, scoring a 77-yard touchdown.

In the first half, he scored two touchdowns (one receiving and one rushing) and finished the day as the Ducks’ top performer on the offensive side of the ball and was a nightmare for that Ohio State defense.

Verdell had quite the bounce-back game and looked like a pro against the Buckeyes.