While quarterbacks will always be the barometer for how fans remember particular eras of college football, the Oregon Ducks have seen their success stem prominently from the performance of the men in the backfield.
This is not to discredit the incredible careers of Marcus Mariota, Justin Herbert, Joey Harrington, Dennis Dixon, and so on, but rather to point out how much of Oregon’s success has been rooted in the running back room, as well as under center.
Even now, while Herbert and Tyler Shough have gotten most of the attention in the past two years, CJ Verdell has been a huge part of the team’s success and will once again be counted on in a major way in 2021.
Will Verdell put together a third 1,000 yard rushing performance next season? And, if so, will that be enough for him to crack this list of the 12 greatest running backs in Oregon history? Hard to say, as this list is loaded with premier talent, but Verdell does seem like he is on the right track.
Before we get into the list, a pair of honorable mentions: Reuben Droughns and Legarrette Blount, two backs who had very similar careers at U of O.
Droughns only appeared in 17 games for Oregon, just five as a junior thanks to a broken leg, before he exploded as a senior – appearing in 12 games and rushing for 1,234 yards in 1999. That led him to the NFL where he had a productive eight-year career.
Meanwhile, Blount only played 16 games in an Oregon uniform, thanks to an injury which limited him to three games as a senior, but his impact on the program was profound – and his 1,002 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior in 2008 was one of the best individual rushing seasons in school history. That helped lead him to the NFL, where he won three Super Bowls and led the league in rushing touchdowns in 2016.
Without further ado, here is a look at the top 12 greatest running backs in Oregon history:
12
Jeremiah Johnson, 2005-2008
Jeremiah Johnson battled injuries during his four-year stay with the Ducks, but he was a monster as a senior in 2008 alongside Legarrette Blount, rushing for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He is fifth in school history in rushing touchdowns, and played briefly in the NFL for the Denver Broncos in 2011 and 2012.
11
Ricky Whittle, 1992-1995
Whittle is another four-year guy who, like Johnson, had a truly great senior season in Eugene. Whittle rushed for 1,201 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1995, capping off a career that saw him make three Bowl games.
He sits eighth in school history in rushing yards and total yards, and played 10 games in the NFL with the Saints in 1996.
10
Sean Burwell, 1990-1993
Burwell is another four-year guy, although he never had the one dominant season like Johnson and Whittle did.
Instead, he was steadily productive from 1990-1993, and still ranks seventh in school history in total rushing yards.
9
Onterrio Smith, 2001-2002
A transfer from Tennessee, Smith’s two seasons in Eugene were enough to place him on this list. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2001 and 2002, while contributing on special teams as well.
His NFL career didn’t go to plan, as he was suspended after two seasons for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but his time in Eugene was special.
8
Terrence Whitehead, 2002-2005
Whitehead was a four-year player at Oregon from 2002-2005. His junior season was excellent, as he eclipsed 1000 yards on the ground and added another 405 more through the air.
All told, he is fourth in school history in total yards thanks to his proficiency as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, which lands him a spot on this list.
7
Bobby Moore, 1969-1971
Moore was well before his time, serving as a WR/RB hybrid just 40 years or so before players like De’Anthony Thomas would make that more popular in both the college and NFL landscape.
Moore was at Oregon from 1969-1971, totaling 2,306 yards on the ground and another 1,536 through the air. He had 18 rushing and 18 receiving touchdowns, with his 36 total scores good for sixth in school history, and he was the fourth overall pick by the Cardinals in the 1972 NFL draft.
6
Derek Loville, 1986-1989
Loville may not be a household name to younger Ducks fans, but he was a steady presence for Oregon in the late 1980’s, placing fourth in school history in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns.
He only appeared in one bowl game, but he led the conference in rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons and is still eighth in conference history in rushing attempts and 15th in total touchdowns.
5
De'Anthony Thomas, 2011-2013
One of the most well-known athletes in school history, Thomas was a hybrid RB/WR with blazing speed who helped popularize the spread offense by creating matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.
He finished his three-year career in Eugene with 41 touchdowns, 26 on the ground and 15 in the air, as well as a Pac-12 record four kickoff return touchdowns, before joining the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL draft.
4
Jonathan Stewart, 2005-2007
Were this list evaluating players for their success in the NFL, Stewart would pretty easily be at the top. The 2015 Pro Bowler finished his NFL career with over 7,300 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns, almost all with the Carolina Panthers.
Stewart was dang good with Oregon as well, particularly as a junior in 2007 when he rushed for 1,722 yards and 11 touchdowns while hauling in a pair of touchdowns through the air.
All told he is in the top 10 in every major running back category in school history, which isn’t bad for a guy who only spent three years at Autzen.
3
Kenjon Barner, 2009-2012
Were it not for his even better teammate (more on him later) Barner would have a strong case for second or even first on this list. After playing a small role his first two seasons in Eugene, Barner broke out his junior year with 939 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
He returned for a final go of things in 2012, and as the lead back he rushed for 1,767 yards and 21(!) touchdowns, good for seventh in the NCAA and second in the Pac-12 behind Ka’Deem Carey at Arizona.
2
LaMichael James, 2009-2011
It’s pretty shocking that two running backs in the top three were teammates for three years (especially with De’Anthony Thomas in the mix in 2011 as well) but that is how dominant the duo of Barner and LaMichael James was.
James ran for over 1,500 yards all three years at U of O, scoring 53 touchdowns on the ground and adding another four through the air. He did most of his damage in 2010, when he finished third in Heisman voting, although his junior year wasn’t too shabby either with 1,805 yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns.
He is second in school history in basically every major rushing category, making it a natural fit for him to be No. 2 on this list.
1
Royce Freeman, 2014-2017
Freeman is first in school history in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total yards from scrimmage, and total touchdowns, so it’s really hard to not put him at the top of this list – even if he accrued those numbers in part because he was a starter as a freshman, and he stayed for all four years.
Still, Freeman rushed for over 1,300 yards three times while in an Oregon uniform, and he finished his illustrious collegiate career first in Pac-12 history in touchdowns, second in both yards from scrimmage and rushing yards – a category he ranks eighth in NCAA history, at least since 1956.
Freeman’s NFL career may not be going according to plan, but he was one of the greatest Ducks in program history, and one of the best running backs in Pac-12, and NCAA, history as well.
