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Oregon Football: 3 things I want to see from Ducks vs. Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl

By Connor Muldowney

Oregon's Byron Cardwell, left, celebrates his touch down against Colorado during the first quarter Saturday Oct. 30, 2021.Eug 103021 Uo Cofb09
Oregon's Byron Cardwell, left, celebrates his touch down against Colorado during the first quarter Saturday Oct. 30, 2021.Eug 103021 Uo Cofb09 /
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Nov 6, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Byron Cardwell (21) rushes against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Byron Cardwell (21) rushes against the Washington Huskies during the fourth quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. A strong run game

Oklahoma ranks 23rd in college football against the run which has to have some Duck fans worried because relying on the pass hasn’t gone well this year.

Anthony Brown is a solid runner at the quarterback position but he’s had to deal with the loss of CJ Verdell this season and the subsequent replacement by Byron Cardwell, Travis Dye, and Trey Benson. It hasn’t been a perfect year for the Ducks’ offense.

But momentum is a big thing year to year and if the Ducks want to be able to establish the run next season regardless of who wins the starting quarterback job, they’ll need to have a big game on the ground against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. If the Ducks struggle to move the ball on the ground against Oklahoma, that won’t do much for the confidence of Dye, Benson, and Cardwell.

Not only do I want to see a strong run performance from Oregon, but I’d also like to see Cardwell step up as the workhorse back. He had a great freshman season but he needs to build on it and head into 2022 as the go-to guy in the backfield.

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