Last week, the Oregon Ducks survived and advanced against the Iowa Hawkeyes, eking out an 18-16 victory in the final seconds. In the process, they answered and executed four of the five questions that I posed to them entering the highly-anticipated matchup.
First, I questioned their ability to handle the Hawkeyes’ physicality. The Ducks rushed for 7.3 yards per carry on offense and allowed 2.3 yards per carry defensively. Check. The next: What was Oregon’s offensive approach going to be? Early on, it was apparent that offensive coordinator Will Stein put an emphasis on the run game. By the end of the game, the Ducks had ran the ball 36 times for 261 yards, perfectly executing their approach.
I also posed how big of an impact special teams would be. Huge, as it turned out. Iowa’s errant snap that turned into a two-point safety on a first quarter punt turned out to the difference. Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington booted three field goals through the uprights, the final one being the game-winner. Without all three, the Ducks leave as losers.
Oregon’s offensive line also held up well, which was a question with right tackle Alex Harkey sidelined. They allowed zero sacks despite Iowa entering with three players with four or more sacks.
The lone question that they didn’t answer was whether they could curb Iowa’s home-field advantage with early scores. The Ducks didn’t jump out of the gates, punting on their first possession and throwing an interception on the next.
Despite that, they executed and answered every other question, coming away with a much-needed victory in keeping their national title hopes alive.
Week 12 presents a Friday night matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who come into Autzen Stadium with a 6-3 overall record. What questions will the Ducks have to answer to come out on top? Let’s take a look.
Let’s set the stage for Oregon’s matchup with Minnesota.
The Ducks are coming off a hard-fought, emotional battle in Iowa against the Hawkeyes. Minnesota, on the other hand, kicked their feet up and enjoyed a week off, watching that game on their TVs. The last time the Golden Gophers suited up will be 13 days by kickoff. The Ducks, just five full days.
To add even more of a disadvantage to Oregon, the offensive side of the ball has been hit hard by injuries, with as many as four potential starters (Dakorien Moore, Kenyon Sadiq, Alex Harkey and Gary Bryant Jr.) dealing with injuries on a short week. Add in Evan Stewart, who’s missed the entire season but is reportedly nearing a return.
The Golden Gophers are dealing with their own injury issues, as star running back Darius Taylor exited their last game after just one carry and is a question mark for Friday.
At the end of the day, the Big Ten didn’t do Oregon any favors. But… who cares? Great teams have to fight through tough stretches in their schedule. The Ducks had a bye week prior to the Iowa game, meaning that they should still be well-rested.
In the NFL, former Oregon standout quarterback Bo Nix recently led the Denver Broncos to seven wins in 39 calendar days. That’s a much more extended and, presumably much tougher circumstance than two games in seven days, as the Ducks will be playing.
Schedule wise, this shouldn’t be a trap game. Title-contending teams win these games in convincing fashion. We’ll see if the Ducks are up to the task.
It’s been a bumpy ride for quarterback Dante Moore in three of the past four games.
It began against Indiana, in which he tossed two fourth-quarter interceptions. Then, he passed for just 85 yards in the first half against Wisconsin before being knocked out of the game due to a broken nose early in the second half. After the bye week, he had his struggles once again. Prior to the game-winning drive, he had just 65 passing yards to his name. He turned it on when the Ducks needed it most, throwing for 47 yards on the final drive.
Sustained success, however, has evaded Oregon’s passing attack over the past month (save for a solid performance against Rutgers’ hapless pass defense, though Moore still threw an interception in that game).
For them to go far in the postseason, Moore will have to find a rhythm for an extended period of time. Figuring that out in the final three games of the regular season has to be a goal of Stein and head coach Dan Lanning.
At the same time as figuring out the passing game, Stein has to be cognizant of what the bread and butter has been for the Ducks this season: running the football.
Oregon has the sixth-best rushing attack in the country and has leaned on it heavily in recent weeks in difficult weather. That can’t change, as Noah Whittington is finding his stride while Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison both contributed in huge ways against Iowa. It seemed like Stein threaded the needle of how to deploy all three of his standout backs: Whittington as the bell-cow, Hill as the outside zone threat and Davison as a short-yardage option as well as spelling Whittington when needed.
There have been times this season where it seemed like Stein got too cute, opting for style points instead of taking what seems to be a guaranteed five yards on nearly every rush.
Minnesota isn’t on the same level as Oregon. There will be an opportunity to have some fun with creative play designs. But why not stick to what is a known commodity and has proven that it works against the toughest defenses in the country?
Defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi’s secondary is among the best in the country. In terms of yards allowed per game, they’re tops in college football.
But against the Hawkeyes, they had several costly lapses.
On Iowa’s first touchdown drive, they allowed a wheel route on the backside that put the ball inside the five-yard line. On their go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter, Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski found a wide open receiver deep down the middle of the field for a 40-yard gain. That came on third-and-five, a very critical down that the Ducks just couldn’t execute on.
Were the lapses a byproduct of Iowa simply running the ball so many times (43 rush attempts in all) that the pass surprised the Oregon secondary? Or was it a sign of more mishaps to come?
Against Iowa, linebacker Jerry Mixon had the game of his life. He recorded a career- and game-high 13 total tackles, nine of which solo. Without fail, he stepped into the hole and helped stymie the Hawkeyes’ rushing attack.
Minnesota, while not quite as powerful as Iowa, has a similar goal of playing physical football at the line of scrimmage. Taylor, their top back, is 6-foot and 215 pounds. Backup Fame Ijeboi, who has played admirably well in Taylor’s absence, is 6-foot and 210 pounds. While both have speed, they’re best suited as bruisers between the tackles.
Linebacker Bryce Boettcher can always be counted on to step in and fill gaps. Mixon emerged as a an excellent option to do so last week. Can he do it again?
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Five questions Oregon will have to answer against Minnesota in Week 12