CJ Verdell Headlines Group of Ducks to Earn Pac-12 Honors

Three players from the Ducks earned Pac-12 honors this week after their victory over Ohio State.

Author:
John Rustik
Publish date:
Sep 13, 2021 10:38 PM EDT

The Ducks are coming off of a monumental win in Columbus against Ohio State. The Ducks, now the No. 4 team in the country, had three players receive awards for their performance last Saturday.

Of the six awards that were given out this week throughout the Pac-12, three of them were won by Duck players.

CJ Verdell: Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week

CJ Verdell Ohio State TD run — © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC

CJ Verdell controlled the game for the Ducks from start to finish. Verdell pushed through the Ohio State defense, totaling 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He also got the job done in the passing game, collecting three receptions for 34 yards and another touchdown.

Verdell ended up averaging 8.05 yards per carry. A bulk of his yardage came from his 77-yard house call, courtesy of some massive running lanes opened up by the Oregon offensive line. He outran the secondary and high-stepped the final tackler to reach pay dirt.

This gave the Ducks a spark to start off the second half.

This is not Verdell’s first time winning this award, as he received this honor in a Week 9 matchup against Washington State in 2019.

Alex Forsyth: Offensive Lineman of the Week

Alex Forsyth Ohio State — Dylan Mickanen/Ducks Digest

Alex Forsyth was a part of a dominant effort from offensive line that was able to throw around the Ohio State front seven. Throughout the game, Forsyth was crucial in giving his quarterback time to throw the ball, as well as opening up running lanes for Verdell to explode through.

The Oregon offensive line, led by Alex Forsyth, only allowed one sack throughout the game, and were the key contributors to Oregon’s 505 total yards of offense, 269 of those yards were on the ground.

Forsyth himself did not allow a single sack, pressure or hurry throughout the entirety of the game. He did his part to keep Anthony Brown upright.

This is the first time that an Oregon Duck player has received this award since last season, when TJ Bass was recognized for his performance against Washington State. He becomes the sixth Duck to win it, after Penei Sewell, Shane Lemieux, Calvin Throckmorton, Ryan Walk.

Bradyn Swinson: Defensive Lineman of the Week

Bradyn Swinson Ohio State Postgame — © Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Braydn Swinson had the difficult task of taking over for Kayvon Thibodeaux, but he delivered a masterful performance. Swinson had five tackles throughout the game. He was a force on the defensive line and made huge plays.

Towards the end of the third quarter, he bursted through the Buckeyes' offensive line to force a bad throw on a crucial 4th down stop by the Ducks at the Oregon 8 yard-line.

His best play was also one of the biggest plays of the entire game-- a sack in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. On first down Swinson got to quarterback C.J. Stroud and drove the Buckeyes back eight yards.

Just two plays later, Stroud would throw an interception that would help the Ducks hold off a comeback.

Swinson became the first player this season to win this award for Oregon, with Thibodeaux winning the award last season after the Pac-12 championship.

The Ducks now hope to continue their success as they prepare to welcome Stony Brook (1-1) to Autzen.