2021 Ducks Digest Football Awards: Byron Cardwell Wins Offensive Freshman of the Year

Byron Cardwell has been named Ducks Digest's 2021 Offensive Freshman of the Year after an impressive season in which he wasn't expected to see much action.

The @DucksDigest Offensive (True) Freshman of the Year is Byron Cardwell (@ByronCardwell2)!

- 417 rushing yards on just 61 carries
- 3 touchdowns
- 6.8 yards per carry
- 8 carries of at least 20 yards

(Photos: @scottboldtphoto; graphic: me) pic.twitter.com/2GTQNPBlNo
— Dylan Reubenking (@drksportsnews) January 12, 2022

DUCKS DIGEST OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR VOTING:

1. Byron Cardwell - 7 votes

2. Terrance Ferguson - 2 votes

3. Jackson Powers-Johnson - 1 vote

Entering the 2021 season, CJ Verdell and Travis Dye were widely expected to take the vast majority of snaps at tailback, with many inexperienced backs behind them.

Sean Dollars had the most experience and looked to be the first back off the bench behind the two veterans, with Trey Benson and Cardwell in the room as well.

Dollars never took a snap due to an injury suffered in the spring, and Verdell tore his ACL just five games into the season. The Ducks slowly turned to Cardwell, the San Diego native, to earn reps behind Dye. Week by week, Cardwell earned more carries and entered the game earlier and earlier, and soon, he would prove his potential.

Having only recorded nine carries for 40 yards prior, Cardwell burst onto the scene against Colorado with a monster performance. He carried the ball seven times for 127 yards and a touchdown. His 127 yards were the most by an Oregon freshman in a game since Dye had 199 against Oregon State in 2018.

He was the first Duck to record at least 100 rushing yards on seven or fewer carries since Tony Brooks-James had 105 yards on six carries in 2017 against Utah. The Ducks' coaches knew it was time to increase his workload, as he had earned it.

The following week, he touched the ball 17 times for 51 yards against a brutal Washington rushing defense. But the next time he played at Autzen Stadium, he would pick up right where he left off against Colorado, with 98 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.

Over the three-game span, he recorded 280 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries — good for an incredible 8.75 yards per carry.

Cardwell finished his freshman season with 417 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 61 carries. Both Dye and Verdell are eligible to return for one last season, and the depth behind them for 2022 opened up as Dollars entered the transfer portal and the Ducks don't have any running backs in the fold for the 2022 recruiting class.

No matter what the running back room looks like for Oregon next season, Cardwell will continue to produce at a high level, and once the starting job is his, he may break some records owned by players sharing his #21.

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