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Yes, yes they can.

Whittington is our go-to back. Beyond that, he can block, catch the ball and get YAC, and is the best RB at protecting the ball. There is depth in the WR and TE rooms. I say rely on it

Iowa’s two big passing plays were due to poor coverage (LB), blown assignment (safeties) and lack of a pass rush. Oregon’s corners were money, as always, and had at least one bogus PI called against them. The DL, particularly the DTs came to play and answered the call (just like the Penn State game) - perhaps they just need to be questioned to play their best. I was shocked that Oregon only had four in the box on that 4th and goal. It was apparent to everyone in the stadium and watching on TV that Iowa was going to call a QB run on that play. Why not have a sure tackling LB or safety as a spy, instead of a DE? The clock management at the end of the half and final drive left a lot to be desired and hopefully will be worked on this week. For example, the offense took roughly a minute (half the clock) to pick up that first, first-down and then they completed at least one pass in the middle of the field, short of the first down marker. There was no sense of urgency. Luckily the offense hit a few passes down the field, including that absolute dime by Moore, to set up the go ahead FG.

Davison was one of the names mentioned as being a bit dinged up before the game. He was going to play but I think they were going to try and limit him a bit. Though I LOVED the two runningback packages as Davison and Hill on the field together make a great combo... It was the combo on the field that scored the only Duck touchdown yesterday.

I think what happened was that Dante was exposed in terms of his receiver target preferences. His 1A and 1B Dak and Sadiq were out and then 2 Bryant goes out and he just looked a bit uncomfortable in terms of who throw to. Johnson stepped up big at tight end and he'll be deadly for years to come. McClellan is growing into a big threat but he a had a big time drop on third and long that should have been a clutch first down. Benson, probably 2b or 3, was quiet for most of the game until he wasn't and made some big time plays. I think Dante is going to have to work with this receivers a bit more and build some more trust outside of 1a and 1b. Probably didn't help matters that the first series was three incomplete passes. 1 was Dante's fault, 1 was Whittington's fault and 1 was kinda a mix of both sides where the ball placement wasn't great but the receiver could have still got it. Then wrap it up with an end zone interception and... Yeah the passing game has some work to do without Dak and Sadiq. Also... Do we move Whittington to receiver? https://fishduck.com/2024/10/should-noah-whittington-switch-to-receiver/

I’m a big believer in playing to your strengths. As you mentioned, our running game is clearly the strength of our offense this year (with a young QB who is still learning to read defenses and adjust pass protection) and we have a solid defense, overall. I would base our entire offense off the running game and then use play action to attack the defense down the field, once the opponent’s safeties start cheating up (maybe 20 passes max a game). Kyle Shannahan is a master at this and Will Stein could pick up some things studying the Niners’ offense and how he sets up a defense. I also favor using Davison more heavily, especially early in games, as he has the ability to wear down a defense opening up the gashing and explosive runs later in the game.

HUH? 🤢🤮

Agreed. I think there were still times in the second half when Iowa was respecting Dante's arm which gave a little more space in the box.

I agree with everything you wrote. Lanning played the hand dealt to him marvelously. I certainly said we had to Make Gronowski and their receivers beat us. While they almost did beat us that way, they only got 100 yards on the ground, due to our bias to stop the run. Noah Whittington took this game over at one point in the second half. It was his best game in a Ducks uniform of his career.

That's a function of their style of play. Against good teams it turns it into a whoever gets the ball last coin flip. Their style is gimmicky in its own way.

To win in the Playoffs....we need a balanced attack, IMHO. Effective passing downfield will make it easier to open holes for the offensive line with one starter down...

I don't think it's really debatable at this point. We have gone against some of the best rushing defenses in the country in conditions they knew we would be running the ball and still averaged 6-7 yards a carry. Nobody does that. It isn't necessarily the James, Barner, DAT style from a decade ago, but it works against everyone. The big question is how to maximize that against our opponents the remainder of the year. Just because we can play Iowa ball doesn't mean we should. Playing that style 4 quarters every game is only good for convincing yourself you can hang with anybody, not actually consistently winning. We can certainly use it at the end of games when first downs become more important than touchdowns. We can use it to retain leads and shorten games. We can certainly use it in place of bubble screens. We can use it to set up play action pass to keep the pass rush honest and create more space behind the LBs. I think in short we need to go to a more pro style offense. A little spread is okay to keep defenses honest, but the rule should be to run it down their throats and pass it over their heads. Maybe not as clever or cute or entertaining as we'd like, but we have to play to our strengths.

A Gopher, Badger, and Beaver walk into a Duck pond. Does any walk out on their own power? Quack the rodents.

Oregon Ducks open as three-score favorites over Minnesota Golden Gophers It was a sloppy, rainy game that saw multiple turnovers and offensive mishaps, but in the end Oregon still got the win. They faced one of the better teams in the country in Iowa, but they will have a bit of a reprieve this week against the Minnesota Golden Gophers .

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Some of my initial thoughts on the game: • Given the weather forecast and Iowa’s style, this was exactly the type of game I was expecting and wouldn’t have been surprised if the Ducks lost, on the road, against a good opponent. My heart would have preferred that Oregon’s defense prevented Iowa from scoring that last TD but credit to the offense for doing what they had to do to win the game, in horrible conditions and without key starters. I hate these style of games but good teams can win many styles of play, including games that they do not have their “A” game. • Coach Lanning managed the game extremely well. He realized that this was not going to be a high scoring affair and that every single point could be the difference. I’m glad that he don’t go for it on 4th down at midfield and realized that the probably of conversion on 4th and long was extremely low. He played for field position, trusted his defense, took the points and put his team in a position to win the game. • I’ve been calling for Davison to start and get more carries, but Whittigham was great last night. He hit the hole hard and ran over defenders. One of his best all around games as a Duck, against a very good defense, IMHO. • Atticus Sappington was money tonight (3-3), in terrible conditions, and my game MVP, including a clutch game winner.

Recapping Oregon's snap counts and PFF grades from the road win over IowaEarly on Sunday morning, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its grades for each college football game. Below is how each individual graded out and how many snaps each played in the Iowa win.

REACTION: Oregon PREVAILS at Iowa as Ducks Overcome EMBARRASSING Officiating. Dante Moore SHINES!

Oregon's Dan Lanning Admits He Was ‘Pretty Nervous’ Watching Game-Winning Kick Thanks to some special teams heroics, No. 9 Oregon slid past No. 20 Iowa, 18-16, on Saturday — a finish that left Ducks head coach Dan Lanning anything but calm. Lanning admitted as much after watching kicker Atticus Sappington drill a 39-yard field goal in the rain with seven seconds left to seal the win. Truth be told, the redshirt senior’s composure in the clutch may have exceeded that of his head coach. "If you want the truth, I was pretty nervous," Lanning told reporters. "I'm nervous for him because it shouldn't come down to that moment for Atticus. That guy's going to feel an unbelievable amount of pressure, however that goes. But, I'm really proud that he's able to handle a moment like that."

And somehow Iowa will be ranked below every 3-loss SEC team come Tuesday. 😂

Head Coach Dan Lanning meets with the media following #9 Oregon Football's 18-16 win over #20 Iowa

Mario Cristobal after watching Oregon win with one TD, 3 FG’s and a safety.

Everything Coach Ferentz of Iowa said about the last drive by Oregon. " “Sometimes that’s football. When you play a team like Oregon, you got to be right there, and there’s nothing easy." Oregon Ducks On SIWhat Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz Said About Oregon Ducks' Gam...The No. 9 Oregon Ducks defeated the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes in a close matchup, 18-16. The team had to win with all phases, and the Ducks were able to drive down t

Ducks rally to win at Iowa! Oregon’s depth shines despite injuries

Meanwhile in Cowvallis...beevis lost at home to Sam Houston State as 20 point favorites