A lot of conclusions could be drawn from Oregon’s big win over Iowa on Saturday. Calling them a “paper tiger” is not one of them.

There is a bizarre opinion among some members of the national media and opposing fanbases that the Ducks haven’t played anyone. Apparently, September 27^th was so long ago that it has completely left their memories.

Oregon has faced three ranked opponents so far this season. They have come away with two wins and a close loss to the #2 ranked Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen. They have faced injuries, torrential downpours, and nationally recognized hostile crowds… but I guess that’s not enough.

Oregon is a Paper Tiger?

They are if you believe Will Brackus of CBS Sports. He wrote, “Oregon will be exposed when it has to match up against one of the 12 best teams in the nation.” This is an interesting opinion. Was Oregon “exposed” against Indiana?

Offensively the Ducks certainly struggled in that game. Defensively they held the Hoosiers to 111 rushing yards and 215 passing yards. This is a team that’s currently averaging 232 yards on the ground and 255 yards for the air. They are 6^th in the nation with 487 total yards of offense per game. Exposed?

Brackus continued, “The Ducks don’t have the best résumé thus far. Their admittedly gritty win on the road against No. 20 Iowa Saturday was their first triumph against a ranked team all season.”

I guess in an alternate universe the Ducks faced the #3 ranked Nittany Lions in a white-out at Beaver Stadium. They pulled off a massive win, in overtime, over a top 5 team on the road. They did it in an environment that everyone said was arguably the toughest in college football. That means nothing now, apparently.

His final statement was, “Oregon has done nothing to show that it will compete well on a national stage.”

This Team has Shown Nothing?

We could debate if you think the Ducks haven’t shown enough to prove they’re a true contender this season. To think that they have done nothing to show that they would compete well on a national stage is ludicrous.  

Right now the Ducks are the 13^th best offense, averaging 471 yards per game. Their passing has fallen off a bit because of weather and injuries to key positions. Their run game, however, is 6^th in the nation averaging 240 yards per game.

Against the Iowa Hawkeyes, they put up 261 yards on the ground, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. This was the most total yardage that Iowa has given up since 2022. More impressively, it was the most yards per carry since 2014.

The Hawkeyes entered the game as the 3^rd best defense in the nation in total yards allowed per game. They were 5^th in passing yards allowed and 4^th in total yards allowed. They had the 10^th best run defense as well. This team was no pushover and it was on the road in the rain.

The Ducks are a physical, run first offense right now. They’re grinding out opponents and imposing their will in the trenches. This is not the Oregon Ducks of 15 years ago. The rest of college football has not woken up to that fact yet.

The Ducks have an Elite Defense

Even if you’re not ready to concede that Oregon has a solid offense, their defense is truly elite.

The Ducks are currently ranked 3^rd in overall yards per game. They are #1 in passing defense, allowing only 126 yards through the air. Oregon is also 6^th in points allowed per game at 14. They absolutely have a defense that could win a national championship right now.

PFF grades them as the 15^th best defense but gives them the 4^th best coverage grade in the nation (92.1). They are just barely behind Ohio State (92.2) and Alabama (92.3) on the season. The Ducks have been a no-fly zone for most of the season. They had a couple lapses against Iowa but overall teams have had a very difficult time throwing the ball.

This is not going to be an easy out for any team… regardless of their ranking.

AP Voters Still Doubt Them

Despite beating one of the best defenses in the country, Oregon fell in the AP poll on Sunday. It was clearly much more impressive that Ole Miss defeated The Citadel Bulldogs 49-0 at home. Those late season FCS opponents are always a good litmus test for how legitimate a team is in the rankings.

Oregon dropped to 7^th in the AP, but at this juncture this ranking is completely irrelevant. The only ranking that matters are the playoff rankings and we won’t know those for a couple days. Funny enough, the coaches poll kept the Ducks at 6^th.

With #7 BYU losing to #8 Texas Tech, and Oregon defeating the #20 ranked Hawkeyes, it’s likely that the Ducks will move up into the top 8. This is a good spot, as it would secure Oregon a home playoff game as long as they win out.

One thing to keep an eye on is USC for the rest of the season. The Ducks play the Trojans at home in a couple weeks whicch will most likely will be the final ranked team on their schedule. Washington dropped to Wisconsin at home on Saturday and will assuredly fall out of the rankings.

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.”

By now, it’s no secret that it takes a special kind of focus for kickers to lock in and deliver under pressure. Recreating those moments in practice is one thing, but as Lanning put it, “there ain’t nothing like 70,000 fans.”

“Seven seconds left, having to kick that kick. Can’t recreate that in practice, and Atticus handled that like a champ,” added Lanning.

The nail-biting kick capped a game in which Oregon jumped out to a 2–0 lead on a wild safety, then trailed 16–15 after an Iowa touchdown with 1:51 left in regulation. A 24-yard Dante Moore completion boosted the ensuing 10-play, 54-yard series which Sappington closed with the game winner on the road.

After narrowly improving to 8–1 overall and 5–1 in Big Ten play, Lanning’s Ducks have held their own in their second year in the conference. Still, it’s clear the experience is taking some getting used to.

“Well, guys, I guess that’s what they call Big Ten football,” Lanning said to open his postgame press conference. “What an unbelievable game.”

Oregon now turns its attention to its next Big Ten showdown — a road game at Minnesota (6–3, 4–2). Kickoff is set for Friday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State controlled Friday’s season-opener from start-to-finish in an 86-45 victory over Corban.
 
The Beavs dominated on the defensive end with 14 blocks and 13 steals while holding the Warriors to 29 percent shooting from the field.
 
“Tonight was a fun adventure to navigate through the ups and downs of the game. It wasn’t perfect for sure, but in the second half I thought we settled in and executed. The ball moved much more freely, which is a good sign of things to come,” head coach Scott Rueck said.
 
Five Beavers scored in double figures, led by Lara Alonso-Basurto’s 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. She is the sixth Beav all-time to record a double-double in her debut and first since Taylor Jones in 2020.
 
Tiara Bolden got the Beavers going early, scoring eight of her 13 points in the opening frame to pace the Beavs to a 23-7 lead. Bolden’s strong all-around performance included seven rebounds and six steals.
 
A slow second quarter followed the hot first, but the Beavs entered halftime up 35-14 and Kennedie Shuler ensured they would pull away even further in the second half. The junior scored the first four points of the second half on a blow-by drive and turnaround jumper, part of a 19-0 run when combined with a 9-0 end to the second quarter. Shuler finished the day with 10 points, five rebounds, 5 assists and three blocks.
 
Lizzy Williamson combined with Alonso to own the paint. The seventh-year senior scored 10 points with seven rebounds in just under 15 minutes. Fellow Aussies Keira Lindemans and Katelyn Field combined for 10 more points in their first collegiate action.
 
Ally Schimel added 11 points thanks to a 3-for-6 day from deep, leading a sophomore class that combined for 23 points. Cloe Vecina poured in eight on 4-of-5 shooting and Elisa Mehyar added four.
 
Oregon State committed just six fouls in the game, their fewest since being whistled five times on December 10, 2021 against Monmouth.
 
The Beavers are back in action on Monday when they take on Air Force at 6 p.m. Veterans can claim free tickets to the game on VetTix.

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