No gloves, no problem: Travis Dye is not your typical running back

It’s the middle of a game in the 2021 season, and then-Oregon running back Travis Dye needs a break. 

When his teammate C.J. Verdell was ruled out for the season in early October, Dye stepped in as the lead back and dominated the share of carries. A run there, a block here and a long catch en route to eye-popping numbers — 1,271 rushing and 402 receiving yards for 18 total touchdowns. 

Tonight, he’ll run for a career-high 211 yards plus one touchdown as the Ducks hold on against Washington, their bitter rivals.

After yet another drive, then-Oregon running backs coach Jim Mastro decides it’s time for Dye to sit. He starts the series with the running back on the sideline only to see a familiar sight once he turns around. 

Eyes glaring, eyebrows scrunched, helmet on his fluffy hair, Dye’s mustache completes a face Mastro sees as often as his own.

‘He’d give me the death stare, like ‘What are you doing?’” Mastro said. “He did not want to come out of the game.”

Moments later Dye is in, bouncing off tackles, catching passes bare-handed and steamrolling into linebackers hard enough to leave a dent in his shoulder pads. It didn’t take much convincing for Mastro to insert Dye back into the game, especially with a skill set that is “second to none.” 

Listed at 5-foot-10, the redshirt senior running back is a unique blend of competitiveness and otherworldly skill. His hard, rugged running style is reminiscent of an old-time running back. He’s evolved into USC’s trusted running back, a workhorse that won’t stop. 

All while wearing no gloves. 

“Travis is not a drip guy,” said Norco High School football coach Chuck Chastain. “He didn’t wear gloves in high school. He didn’t wear all those bands and stuff in high school. You just give him the ball and let ‘em go to work.” 

That’s all Dye wants to do: go to work. 

Much of Dye’s nature can be attributed to his very competitive family, which Chastain said he brought to the practice field at Norco High School. Travis’ brother, Troy, was a senior in high school when Travis was a sophomore on the team. Neither of them wanted to lose to the other in practice.

After a quiet freshman year, Dye broke out his sophomore season. Beginning the year rotating with two seniors, his production forced Chastain to make a move. In the fourth week of the season, Dye was named the starter. He never looked back. 

He notched 1,000 total yards his sophomore year, then over 2,000 in each of his last two. As a senior, he was the All-CIF Division 2 and Big VIII League Offensive Player of the Year after running for 2,383 yards for 34 touchdowns.

Chastain had Dye do practically everything on the field, from receiving direct snaps to playing safety and corner.

“In big-time games, he would go play defensive back and guard their best player or receiver,” he said. 

Dye would get the job done, solidifying himself as a player Chastain believed could “play any position on the field.” 

But, after four years at Norco, Dye’s offers to play collegiate football were dry. He was listed as a 3-star recruit with very little interest across the board. His schools included Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and, of course, Oregon. UCLA and USC did not recruit Dye. 

Mastro, then at Washington State, pointed to the fact that Dye’s brother was at Oregon then, which left recruiters assuming he’d follow suit. Chastain highlighted that Travis is not the most physically imposing player, which could have also deterred recruiters. 

But what they both can agree on is that the lack of recruitment added extra motivation for the running back. He plays with a chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong. 

Three weeks into his time in Eugene, Travis had already proved it to Mastro.

It’s November 2020, two games into the pandemic-shortened season. The Ducks are playing at Washington State and it’s cold enough to turn your hands numb while taking out the trash, let alone carrying the football.

Temperatures are at a high of 41 but reach 39 near game time. One by one, position groups come out doing drills, and as the ball kicks off, there’s a rare sight on Oregon’s first drive. 

Dye is wearing gloves, something he hasn’t done since he was a little kid. 

“I said, ‘Travis, you’re gonna wear gloves.’ I mean, I used to coach at Washington [State]. I go, ‘Your hands are gonna get icy,’” Mastro said. 

Dye never wears gloves — it’s “too soft,” Chastain said, though it was the high school coach that implemented the no-glove mindset for the running back. Chastain told his players wearing gloves wouldn’t help them catch or block.

“It’s kind of what we preach,” he said.

Dye credits a comfort factor, highlighting he feels better playing without gloves. But, on this Saturday game day, he has no choice. Mastro has already made up his mind — Dye has to wear gloves. 

The coach was looking out for his player, but some things are better left alone. Just 12 minutes into the game, Dye fumbles the ball.

It’s the first time he’s fumbled since October 2019. 

“I was in the press box at the time and I could just feel the stare from the field, like, ‘You made me wear these gloves and I put the ball, we were out,’” Mastro said. “So from that point forward, I never said a word… Do what you got to do bro, you’re fine.”

In a way, the no-glove ethos is a testament to Dye’s mentality. He’s described as an old-school running back, someone more interested in his play than how he looks on the field. For him, production is paramount. 

“No sleeves, no gloves, no flash, no towels. Just wants to go out and ball out,” Mastro said. 

But there’s another layer to Dye’s success that often goes unseen — his leadership. 

It’s game day for USC, with pre-game warmups well underway. The Trojans stretch together to loosen up, then are separated into their respective position groups for drills. 

As time winds down and kick-off inches closer, a ball is punted in the air to signal the end of warm-ups. Players rush over to where the ball lands and gather in a circle.

A player then limps up with his helmet in hand, hair frizzy and mustache hanging ready for battle. All attention focuses on this one person.

Dye is about to give a pre-game speech. 

He preaches brotherhood, unity and for his teammates to “play for us,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Justin Dedich says. He talks about the game not being about the opponent, but about the team and how it can improve each week. 

“You could really feel everything that he feels in those pre-game speeches,” said senior inside linebacker Shane Lee. “It’s just that raw authentic energy that he gives that’s just so unique but it feeds the team.”

Dye’s leadership carries into the locker room right after the speech. He walks around handing out high-fives and words of encouragement to every player, making sure his message comes across. 

At Oregon, Mastro said the coaching staff would save Dye’s speeches for the biggest games of the season. Anytime he spoke, the team knew it was important. Dye understood the messaging and would emphasize what the team needed to do to win.  

Mastro said Dye’s speeches would be no more than two minutes long, but “captured the attention of the entire team and the coaching staff.”

When Dye talks, everybody listens.

“He’s that guy of the team,” said junior defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu. “He’s been to the Pac-12 [championship game], he’s been to the Rose Bowl. He’s been where we want to go so he knows what we have to do.”

Dye’s leadership carries to the practice field where he “does things the right way,” Chastain said. But it’s also where his competitive drive takes over; every drill is done at full speed, as Dye leads by example and pushes himself past his limits. 

Two-minute drills at Oregon’s Wednesday practices became Dye’s test. He wanted to be in every snap. 

“He did not wanna not be in there because it was two-minute against the defense,” Mastro said. “He did not want to lose that drill.”

Dye’s competitive nature stood out immediately to Chastain. Dye is someone as competitive as Mastro has ever seen in his 31-year-plus coaching career. Lee noticed the same. 

“He’s just different,” Lee said. “The way he plays the game, the way he comes to work, he’s just different.” 

Taking days off is just not part of Dye’s mentality, and it never hindered his play. While others may slow down as the seasons wane, Dye continues to push himself on the practice field and weight room.

Some of his best career games came during the last month of the season. 

His career-best 28 carries for 211 yards was in November 2021. Against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl last season, his 153 rushing yards were the third-highest of his career, second only to 199 against Oregon State in the last regular season game of 2018. 

And with USC’s season dwindling down, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dye’s production trends the opposite way. That rare combination of skill and competitiveness molds a player capable of lining up anywhere and giving his everything. Even at 5-foot-10. 

“I firmly believe if he was a full-time slot receiver, he would’ve been our best slot receiver,” Mastro said. “I firmly believe if he was a starting corner, he would’ve been our best starting corner… They don’t make many that can do what he does at that position.”