Down their top two running backs, the Oregon Ducks were put in a tricky position. Trailing 13-6 in the second quarter at home, the Ducks needed to find a spark to ignite the offense and someone to lead the backfield.

In stepped the freshman, Brandon Smith.

Smith's impact in the second half was immediate, carving out big plays as a runner and receiver to help the Ducks claw back into the game. The freshman tailback from Fresno, California, broke out with 82 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding four catches for 32 yards in Oregon's win over Northwestern.

On just his second touch in the third quarter, Smith followed a block from Jamari Johnson on the right side and sprang free. He shook a tackle and cut back toward the midfield logo before being brought down in Northwestern territory with a 35-yard gain. On the next drive, Smith swung left and caught a pass before following another block from Johnson for a 22-yard pickup.

That was the spark the Ducks needed, even if his running path doesn't always follow the script.

"It's a little mysterious where he's gonna end up on the field," Johnson said. "But at the end of the day, we just gotta do our job. Block who we're supposed to block, and we know he's gonna get the ball in the end zone, for sure."

Late in the third quarter, Smith took a pitch to the left, eluded a defender in the backfield, then juked two Wildcats and made his way back to the right side. The problem? All of Oregon's blockers were following the plan, blocking for a run on the opposite side of the field. That left quarterback Dylan Raiola as Smith's lead blocker.

Raiola did his best to take out a Northwestern defender, and Smith wound up with a 31-yard gain. Smith's unpredictable running style turned out to be Oregon's biggest advantage on the ground. With Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. both nursing injuries, Smith, who had seen little action this season, became the feature back.

"That dude is special," Raiola said. "Being a freshman, getting here when he did, he raised the standard for himself, and you just saw it every day. You see it in practice. You just kept seeing him make plays, make guys miss. The way our running backs finish in practice is special because they break through the line, they get thudded up, and they run down, score, and they come all the way back and run the next like two or three plays. The way they train themselves is awesome, and it gives us a lot of confidence. Brandon's special, and he makes a lot of guys miss."

Smith was a late addition to Oregon's 2026 recruiting class. He hadn't received an offer from the Ducks when Oregon announced its early signees last December. Instead, Smith signed with Arizona, but when the new year rolled around, the Ducks made a pitch to the Fresno native. Smith was subsequently released from his letter of intent to Arizona and signed with the Ducks.

In spring practice, Smith still appeared to be toward the bottom of the depth chart behind Hill and Davison, as well as Da'Jaun Riggs, Simeon Price and fellow freshman Tradarian Ball. But as the spring ended, the summer passed, and fall camp heated up, Smith gained some buzz as the third option out of the backfield, which finally came to fruition on Saturday.

On Halloween, Smith punched in a fourth-down touchdown run to give Oregon the lead and eventually pull off the upset over Northwestern.

"That's all you want as a coach is a guy that is not necessarily begging for their opportunity, but ready when their opportunity comes," Dan Lanning said. "I think Brandon's been that for us throughout this year. His role will continue to grow with this team. He's obviously very capable, and I'm excited about what he was able to accomplish today. But that again goes to preparation. That goes to coach Samples having him ready when his moment got called, and he took advantage of it today."

Hill once compared Smith's style of play to NFL All-Pro and Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley. His versatility, ability to shake tackles and beat defenders with his speed was eye-popping against Northwestern, but not a surprise to the Ducks on the field.

"We see it every day in practice," left tackle Fox Crader said. "He's a young guy that every chance he's got, he's executed. He makes a lot of stuff happen in practice that we're like, this kid's special. So we're not surprised at all. I'm sure he's going to continue to do his job at that level."

Davison left the game before halftime and returned in street clothes and on crutches, while Hill remained in uniform but did not play in the second half. Lanning did not have an immediate update on their status for next week, but one thing is clear: Smith has earned an opportunity to take the ball in big moments.

The moments don't get much bigger than next week's trip to Ohio State, and Smith could continue his breakout season in a pivotal Big Ten matchup on the road.