The Oregon Ducks took down their hated rival in the Washington Huskies in the torrential downpour that hit Husky Stadium this Saturday night, and yet again, Ducks fans witnessed a phenomenal performance from Travis Dye.
The Ducks running back seems to exceed expectations every week, and this week he outdid himself again. Dye’s final line sounds like it's straight out of a video game: 28 carries for a career-best 211 rushing yards and a touchdown, with a ludicrous 7.5 yards per carry.
Oregon’s game plan was no surprise to the Huskies. Forget about the fact that the unceasing rain, wind and cold made throwing the ball close to pointless. Washington boasted the best pass defense in the nation before today’s game, and Anthony Brown’s total of 98 yards through the air is sure to keep them near the top.
All of this to say that Washington was expecting a heavy dose of Dye and the Oregon running backs. The Ducks’ intentions only became more obvious early in the game. Brown threw an interception on the first drive and then the Ducks were trapped in their own end zone for a safety after a pinpoint Huskies' punt was pinned inside the five.
That makes the second half performance from Dye and the Oregon offense even more satisfying. The ability to make a defense defenseless, to telegraph your plan and succeed all the same, is the ultimate praise to Mario Cristobal and his squad.
Oregon’s Head Coach made sure to acknowledge the team effort, saying “They know you're running it … and you still find success. It's just a testament to our running backs, our offensive line, our tight ends, our coaches… I'm really really proud of that. That's hard to do.”
Of course, Cristobal had plenty of compliments for Dye, who became only the second Oregon player to break the 200-yard rushing mark in UO-UW rivalry game history.
“He gets better and better all the time," he said. Travis is just scratching the surface of what he’s gonna be.”
The man of the hour, Dye was taking everything in about the rollercoaster of a game, but was still a perfect professional on the podium. He sang praises for his teammates and coaches, especially for offensive lineman George Moore and quarterback Anthony Brown for giving him the opening hole for his touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
There was a time in Dye’s Oregon career where he was overshadowed by his brother, Ducks linebacker and current Minnesota Viking Troy Dye. It seems like that time is all but over, as now little brother Travis is a certified Husky killer, just like older brother who famously started the “Dubs Down” movement that is so popular in Eugene this time of year.
It’s surreal for the running back to think about.
“Me and my brother, we dreamt about things like this. To actually step up when our team needed us, it makes you see the picture. It’s wild.”
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