No. 8 Oregon has lost leading rusher CJ Verdell and starting safety Bennett Williams for the rest of the season due to injuries, Ducks coach Mario Cristobal announced Thursday.
Verdell left last Saturday’s 31-24 loss at Stanford in the third quarter with an apparent lower-leg injury. He rushed 17 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 13 yards against the Cardinal.
In five games this season, the fifth-year junior ran for 406 yards and six scores and added eight receptions for 74 yards and one TD. That includes a 161-yard rushing effort with three touchdowns in the Ducks’ Sept. 11 victory at Ohio State.
Verdell posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2018-19 and ranks fifth in Oregon history with 2,929 rushing yards. He has scored 30 touchdowns from scrimmage in 37 games.
Williams, a junior, suffered a broken leg at practice last Friday and had surgery on Monday, according to a report in The Oregonian. He has 20 tackles and three interceptions this season, returning one 68 yards for a touchdown in a Sept. 25 win against Arizona.
The Ducks (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) return to action on Oct. 15 at home against Cal (1-4, 0-2).
–Field Level Media
