Oregon Running Backs Change the Game in Win Over Cal

Oregon has the best running backs in the conference and they played a big role this weekend.

Max Torres | Oct 30, 2022

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The Oregon Ducks picked up another win on Saturday against the Cal Golden Bears. However this time they did it in a bit of a different way than we've been used to this season.

We know Oregon always likes to run the ball. They have the top rushing attack in the conference at 235.8 yards per game on the ground.

Against Cal they ran the ball 40 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns, but it was a bit of a quiet performance. That's because the Golden Bears stacked the box and put a lot of effort into taking away the run.

That didn't matter. Even though Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington and Sean Dollars combined for just 114 yards on the ground, it was through the air that they made their impact in this game.

"We felt like this is a game that we could get the ball to our backs out of the backfield," Dan Lanning said after the win. "Ultimately we were looking to take some shots and I thought that's where Bo made some good decisions in taking the check down."

The trio combined for 176 receiving yards on just eight catches. Irving caught a quick pass in the flat in the second quarter and muscled his way through two defenders for a touchdown, and Nix connected with Whittington over the middle on an angle route that was wide open all day for a 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Whittington's touchdown ballooned Oregon's lead to 28-10 early in the second half as the Ducks scored on their opening drive.

The big day from Oregon's running backs out of the backfield didn't come as a surprise to Nix or offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham.

"We expected it. We did a good job formationally and schematically getting those guys out, check downs. We knew they'd have a chance to be open," Nix said. "Coach Dillingham actually said all week those guys could go for 150 yards collectively and sure enough that's what they did."

In a game that saw the Ducks lose No. 2 wide receiver Chase Cota to injury in the first half, they needed the backs to step up and they more than answered the call.

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Published Oct 30, 2022

MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.