The No. 6 Oregon football is in cruise control so far in the 2025 season, having blown out each of its first three opponents, including the Ducks' 34-14 demolition of the Northwestern Wildcats at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston last Saturday.
However, intriguingly missing from the action in the Northwestern game was senior running back Noah Whittington. He was listed as questionable prior to the game and was wearing a uniform on the sideline, but did not see action at all on the field.
It remains unclear what kind of injury kept Whittington from playing against Northwestern. His status for Oregon football's upcoming game this Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene against the Oregon State Beavers also appears to be up in the air still.
“To be determined,” Oregon head coach Lanning said of Whittington's status (h/t Dan Morrison of On3). “We’ll see. If he’s ready, we’ll have him out there.”
Whittington led the Ducks in rushing yards in each of their first two wins of the season. He had 68 and 91 rushing yards against the Montana State Bobcats and the Oklahoma State Cowboys, respectively, while scoring two rushing touchdowns total. Overall, Whittington, who been playing college football since 2020, has 159 rushing yards on 14 carries in 2025 for an average of 11.4 yards per carry.
Whether Whittington becomes available or not versus Oregon State, Lanning seems confident in his team's depth at the running back position.
“Ultimately, I think we have a good back unit,” Lanning shared. “So, it’s something we’ve said as a strength, and we said that this is why we prepare the way we prepare. Because there’s going to be a lot of guys that could be used, and we’ve got a lot of guys that can play winning football, and that’s certainly a position that’s shown up.”
Against Northwestern, Oregon football mostly relied on junior running back Jayden Limar on the ground, as he led the Ducks with 11 carries for 38 rushing yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, freshman tailback Dierre Hill Jr. was the most productive Duck in the rushing attack in that contest, as he registered 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on five carries.
