In a lot of ways, CJ Verdell is like Oregon predecessor LaMichael James: What he lacks in size he makes up for with toughness and speed.
The Ducks sophomore has emerged as a running back to watch with a record-setting performance against Washington State, joining Utah's Zack Moss and UCLA's Joshua Kelley among the Pac-12's top backs at this point of the season.
The league returned six running backs this year who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season: Verdell, Moss, Kelley, as well as Arizona State's Eno Benjamin, Arizona's J.J. Taylor and Oregon State's Jermar Jefferson.