Just under 3,000 miles separated two programs that met for the first time tonight under the lights. Coming into this game with hunger, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) paid a visit to SHI Stadium to face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten).
The nation began to doubt the powerhouse team head coach Dan Lanning has built, entering Week 8. Their loss to No. 3 Indiana left people wondering what was going on with the Ducks, but with an offense that put up enough stats to fall into fourth all-time for a single game in program history, the Ducks proved the previous weekend to be a fluke.
“We said all week we're not chasing stats, we're chasing the standard. I thought our guys did a good job of that.” Lanning said, despite putting up a historic night in the books.
It was an immediate struggle on offense for the Ducks with a fumble by veteran wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. that would’ve moved the chains on their first drive. The defense, led by an aggressive Brandon Finney Jr. in the secondary, held the Rutgers offense to a 51-yard field goal, tying a career high for Rutgers kicker Jai Patel.
Immediately after, the Ducks got the spark they’ve been missing over the past two weeks: running back Noah Whittington. On second down, he broke through screens to run for a 68-yard touchdown, the longest of his Oregon career. Whittington went on to score three total touchdowns, a career high, and rushed for 125 yards.
The Ducks’ defense followed it up with the first three-and-out of the game. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was 1-for-5 at this point, relying on the interception and field goal to give the Scarlett Knights momentum.
The Ducks faced three third downs on the following drive and had the same approach for all situations: go long. First, it was a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan, and then another switch was flipped on after two weeks for the Oregon offense. Tight end Kenyon Sadiq was the target for the next two third-down plays, collecting 54 of his 59 points up to that point and adding his first touchdown since the game versus Oregon State on Sept. 20.
Rutgers’ run defense then was able to collect their first two first downs of the game by utilizing their run game. However, once the fans at SHI Stadium thought the Scarlet Knights had gained momentum, linebacker Blake Purchase was there to stop it with his first career interception.
Purchase’s interception only continued to set up success for Oregon at the beginning of quarter two. Dante Moore continued to show his strong start of 10-for-11, making it 155 yards with a pass to Sadiq, making it the first time in 2025 that Sadiq has recorded multiple touchdowns in a game.
Yet again, the Scarlet Knights couldn’t add much yardage to their offense before they had to face the wrath of the Ducks' defense, a group that seemed like they were out for revenge. This time, it was defensive back Aaron Flowers who forced a fumble.
By the end of the first half, the stat sheet looked like a final one. A touchdown from Moore to Dakorien Moore made it 28-3, and Whittington followed it up with two touchdowns of his own, a reception and a rush that set a personal record for most touchdowns in a single game for the experienced running back. The Ducks ended the half with 441 yards of offense and 19.9 yards per completion.
Satisfied with a 56-3 lead, Lanning made the decision to take out Dante Moore with under five minutes left to play in the third quarter. He ended his night 15-20 with 290 yards after demonstrating the confidence many thought he lacked a week ago. Replacing him was the Eugene native Brock Thomas, in his fifth appearance as the backup this year.
“[Moore] was out there playing with joy. See a smile on his face, and there's still gonna be some moments that he's gonna want back,” Lanning said. “Some opportunities that we missed and some things that we can improve, but overall, I thought he executed the plan that we asked him to execute at a high level."
In the end, Rutgers was able to add a touchdown of their own, but it wasn’t enough to combat the 750 yards of offense that the Ducks displayed. Whittington and Sadiq’s combined 214 yards of offense were the biggest difference makers on the field, something that this team had been missing. Whittington specifically had his career high in yards in a game on the ground, with 125 on the night. Four touchdowns and a 75 percent completion rate for Moore were supported by his wall of an offensive line, which barely let any Scarlet Knight get close to their leader at the helm.
The run game overall played an enormous factor, with freshman Jordan Davdison adding 100 yards to the stat sheet, and 13 runs consisting of double-digit yards, an area of the game that Lanning said was very connected.
“Several of our run plays had multiple options where the ball could go to a couple different spots based on where they were heavy or tilted, and I thought our guys did a good job with that.”
It’s clear to say that this was certainly a bounce-back game for the Ducks in the furthest trip they’ll make all season. Looking forward, it’s back to sweet home in Eugene as the team prepares to welcome Wisconsin into Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25. You can tune into 88.1 KWVA, 91.5 KOCR, and Stream 1 to hear Saul Galvan on the call.