Oregon Ducks HC Dan Lanning will leave this weekend a very happy coach and it couldn’t be more clear why
The Oregon Ducks got back to running the football in an impressive offensive performance against Rutgers.
Oregon went back to basics on Saturday night – and it paid off big time. After a disappointing home loss, the Ducks re-established their identity on offense by leaning on their running game and letting their playmakers go to work.
Establishing the run
Noah Whittington (125 yards) and Jordan Davison (100) went over the century mark as No. 8 Oregon bulldozed Rutgers for 415 rushing yards on just 36 carries in a 56-10 blowout at SHI Stadium. The Ducks averaged an incredible 11.5 yards per carry – their best mark since at least 1995 – and likely set a new program record. It was also the most yards per carry Rutgers has ever allowed, a testament to how dominant Oregon’s ground attack was from start to finish.
“We wanted to establish the run,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “We felt like we could move bodies up front and run through some arm tackles and we did that tonight.”
Lanning’s plan was clear: get the ball into the hands of his top backs and let them find a rhythm. Whittington, Davison, and Dierre Hill Jr. rotated smoothly, each finding their groove while keeping the Rutgers defense off balance. Oregon finished with 13 runs of at least 10 yards – six of those over 20 – and dictated the pace all night.
Hill Jr. added 62 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, and quarterback Dante Moore chipped in 49 yards on three rushes. All four averaged over 10 yards per carry behind an offensive line that was moving bodies with ease. Moore credited offensive line coach A’lique Terry for spotting Rutgers’ defensive keys during the week and putting together a plan that opened things up.
“Guys staying connected once runs broke was big,” Lanning said. “Movement on the line and then several of our run plays had multiple options, where the ball could go to a couple of different spots based on where they were heavy or tilted.”
Whittington set the tone early with a 68-yard touchdown run down the left sideline – his third career 100-yard game – and added two catches for nine yards and another touchdown. He became the first Duck since Bucky Irving in 2023, and just the 15th since 1996, to record two rushing scores and a receiving touchdown in the same game. He didn’t even play a snap in the second half.
“It was a great play call by (offensive coordinator Will) Stein,” Whittington said about the long touchdown. “Hell of a block by Jordan Davison and them big guys up front. I just had to run.”
After a week of frustration, Oregon looked like itself again – physical, fast, and confident. By getting back to the ground game and trusting their stars to carry the load, the Ducks found their rhythm and got right back on track.
