RB Respect Month Vol. 3, Day 26: Corey Dillon goes Duck hunting (1996)
There's nothing like demoralizing your rival on the ground.
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Welcome to day 26 of Running Back Respect Month! Yesterday, Darren Evans reminded us that RBRM is about more than just legends and icons. Here's where we're at today, and how the rest of the month looks:
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Today: Corey Dillon vs. Oregon (1996)
RB Respect Month Vol. 3, Day 26: Corey Dillon goes Duck hunting (1996)
It won't surprise you that I believe the most beautiful way to beat your rival is by demoralizing them on the ground. We're all a product of the things we've experienced in our lives - right down to the moments involving our favorite teams. The whole foundation of my college football fandom was built on being at Folsom Field on November 23, 200l. Colorado mashed No. 1 Nebraska for 380 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, dealing the Cornhuskers program a blow so devastating that they haven't reached those heights again a quarter century later:
Colton Denning
Odds are high that I still would have started 2StripesCPD had that game gone differently. I love college football! However, I wonder if I ever have the idea for Running Back Respect Month if Chris Brown and Bobby Purify don't go as crazy as they did that day. Thankfully, we'll never know. Anyway, that game is why I have such an affinity for running back play. It's why I love Ezekiel Elliott's monster performance against Michigan in 2015 so much, and why the Wolverines running for 887 combined yards (a 219 average) in their four-straight wins over Ohio State from 2021-2024 was so painful for me, beyond just the losses. It goes both ways!
I can only imagine that rule applied in 1996 to Washington and Oregon fans who feel the same way I do. With the Ducks sporting consecutive wins in the rivalry, Huskies RB Corey Dillon and his monstrous offensive line stomped a mudhole in Oregon's defense to the tune of 259 yards and three TD in UW's 33-14 win:
I made a 20-minute video of Dillon's '96 season for last year's RBRM, and I have no shame in featuring him again for three reasons:
1) Everything I just said about how much I value a team destroying their rival on the ground.
2) He had 1,695 rushing yards, 2,325 all-purpose yards, and 25 TD (all including Washington's bowl game) in his only season of major college football. '96 Corey Dillon was a monster.
