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Winners, Losers from Oregon Ducks’ 18-16 Win Over the Iowa Hawkeyes
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- Winners, Losers from Oregon Ducks’ 18-16 Win Over the Iowa Hawkeyes
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
One of the most underrated college football games today was the Saturday afternoon matchup between the No. 9 Oregon Ducks and the 20th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes . A game in the rain between a national championship contender and a Kirk Ferentz-coached team went exactly how you'd expect.
Let's dive into our winners and losers from Saturday's Oregon vs Iowa game.
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Winner: Noah Whittington and the Oregon Ducks ' Ground Game
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Iowa wanted to force Oregon to play its style of football. The fact that it was raining throughout Saturday's game and the Ducks ' receiving corps was decimated by injuries left offensive coordinator Will Stein to make matters worse. That would seemingly play right into the strength of the Hawkeyes defense, which entered Week 11 ranked 10th in rushing defense nationally with opponents averaging just 83.9 rushing yards per game and a 2.64 yards-per-carry average .
Oregon, who came into the day averaging 237 rushing yards per game, eclipsed the 200-yard mark in three quarters versus Iowa. Noah Whittington led the way, delivering a 100-yard game with his longest rush 'only' going for 27 yards. He wasn't the lone standout. Jordon Davidson, Dante Moore (49-yard run), and Dierre Hill Jr. all rushed for 40-plus yards. The Ducks needed something great from this rushing attack, and everyone delivered in a critical game.
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Loser: Bryant Worrell , Iowa Hawkeyes Longsnapper
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If your name needs to be said during a college football broadcast as a long snapper, it's a bad thing. Iowa long snapper Bryant Worrell drew the camera's eye for all the wrong reasons on Saturday. His first snap might've gone into the end zone if it hadn't been for a good play by Rhys Dakin . On his second snap, Dakin had to bail out his long snapper again after the ball sailed over his head and rolled toward the end zone. The Hawkeyes punter had no other choice at the 1-yard line with Ducks chasing after him, kicking the ball away for a safety. We understand rain was an issue for both teams on Saturday, but this was a rough day for Worrell. Ultimately, those two points proved very costly.
Winner: Ducks' Run Defense Steps Up
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Iowa had to rest the Ducks' run defense, as quarterback Mark Gronowski wasn't exactly well-equipped to be the driving force in the rain. For as dominant as Oregon was running the football, it might've been even more impressive on the other side of the ball stopping the Hawkeyes' ground game. Iowa's first 40 carries netted just 81 yards and not a single one of them went for 10 yards. This was a physical football game against a stout Hawkeyes offensive line, and the Ducks' run defense showed up in a big way.
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Loser: Kaden Wetjen 's Costly Fumble
Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It's the little things that can cost you versus Oregon. The long snapper cost Iowa 2 points on Saturday and there's a case to be made that Kaden Wetjen cost three more. With the Hawkeyes trailing 12-7 midway through the third quarter, Wetjen got the football and took it for a 3-yard rush to the Ducks 13-yard line. Only, the football was taken out of his arms and the Ducks recovered.
Winner: Mark Gronowski Delivers When It Mattered
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Unable to run the football effectively versus Oregon, Iowa found itself trailing 15-10 with 8:27 left in the game at its 7-yard line. Prior to that drive, Mark Gronowski completed just 6-of-12 passes for 72 yards. In the biggest moment of the Hawkeyes' season, the senior had his biggest moment. Gronowski took advantage of a clean pocket, delivering some downfield strikes to gather some momentum. It finally allowed Iowa to get its first 10-yard run of the game. Gronowski went 4-for-6 for 66 passing yards on the drive and then ran in the go-ahead touchdown on 4th-and-goal to put Iowa ahead. It wasn't a passing clinic for Gronowski, but he delivered in the clutch for the Hawkeyes.
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Winner: Atticus Sappington Saves the Ducks
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The college kicker saved the day. On an evening that saw the Ducks offense go just 3-for-10 on third-down attempts with some of their longest drives stalling in Hawkeyes territory, everything rested on the leg of Atticus Sappington time and time again. The Oregon native sent his team home elated, going 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts, including the game-winner. Sappington delivered 10 of the Ducks' 18 points and was perfect on his kicks in the rain. It's time for the kicker to be the big man on campus this week.
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