Oregon RB CJ Verdell, DB Bennett Williams Out for the Season

Oregon Football Head Coach Mario Cristobal announced Thursday afternoon star Running Back CJ Verdell and Safety Bennett Williams are out for the year due to injury. Williams was injured last week during practice while Verdell went down with a left leg injury during last Saturday’s loss to Stanford.

Verdell has been crucial to the Oregon attack this season, scoring a touchdown in all five of Oregon’s games. He achieved his season-high 161 yards and three total touchdowns against Ohio State. The powerful back has been synonymous with the growth of the Oregon football program over the last four years. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 2018 and 2019 and has 2,919 rushing yards and 27 TDs on 542 attempts in his college career.

Williams tallied 20 tackles and three interceptions during the first four games of the season. Williams was a regular starter in the brief 2020 campaign and the Oregon secondary struggled without him against the Cardinal.

Oregon has had numerous niggling injuries this season to key players like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alex Forsyth. CJ Verdell and Bennett Williams join Justin Flowe and Tight End Cam McCormick as serious injuries.

The undermanned Ducks were ranked No. 3 in the country before Saturday’s loss against Stanford. After the loss, they dropped to No. 8. After the bye, Oregon returns to action at home against Cal next Friday night.

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