5 questions Oregon Ducks will have to answer in Week 11 matchup with Iowa Hawkeyes

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Every week moving forward is critical for the Oregon Ducks on their quest to make the College Football Playoff. Holding a 7-1 overall record and 4-1 Big Ten record, the Ducks were slotted at ninth in the CFP debut ranking — a clear sign that the Selection Committee has some question marks about their resume.

It’s arguably for good reason, as their best win is a toss up between a now 3-5 Penn State team — that came in double overtime — or a road victory over Northwestern, who’s 5-3. Their lone loss was a 30-20 home defeat at the hands of now No. 2 Indiana.

If the season ended today, the Ducks would be in the CFP. But they don’t have a ton of margin to work with.

The positive is that three of Oregon’s next four opponents — Iowa, USC and Washington — are ranked in the top 25 by the Selection Committee, giving the Ducks three chances to bolster their resume in the final month.

The first resume-building opportunity will come against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 11. It’s a matchup that has gained national attention throughout the week, with several pundits putting the Ducks on upset alert as they head to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IA.

Here’s five questions that Oregon will have to answer as they compete against a stout Iowa squad.

Can the Ducks handle the Hawkeyes’ physicality?

This is the biggest question coming into this game — from an internal and external perspective.

Internally, the Ducks have yet to prove to themselves that they can win an ugly game against a team that isn’t far inferior. The Wisconsin game was ugly and Oregon came away with a 21-7 win, but the Badgers are last in the Big Ten and achieved a significant moral victory by keeping it that close.

Externally, the questions are relatively similar: can Oregon win in a dogfight on the road against a top-20 opponent? While the consensus is far from answering with a no, there’s plenty of people who are doubting the Ducks ability to go into Kinnick and come away with a victory.

Iowa plays with no flair. They want to drag you under — and keep you there. They’re as physical as it gets in college football and know how to win ugly games. For them, ugly is pretty. It’s gotten them to a 6-2 record, the 20th ranking in the country and a 4-1 record in the Big Ten that has them mathematically in the running to make the Big Ten title game. They have just as much to play for as Oregon.

Will the Ducks allow themselves to be dragged in the mud and not fight back? Or will they punch first and be the aggressor?

What’s the Ducks’ offensive approach?

Along those same lines, it’ll be interesting to see what offensive coordinator Will Stein comes out with on the opening couple drives.

Iowa’s pass defense is ranked fifth in the country, allowing just 151 pass yards per game. Three of the Hawkeyes’ defensive lineman have combined for 14 sacks. Is Stein going to test the secondary and, at the same time, put the onus on the offensive line to hold up?

Quarterback Dante Moore has not looked like himself in two of the past three games, further adding what will go into Stein’s decision.

The other option is to lean into the expected physicality that Iowa will bring — and run the football right at them, setting the tone. In that case, I’d expect a lot of true freshman running back Jordon Davison, who excelled as a short-yardage back early in the season but has been entrusted with more and more carries as an every down back over the past few weeks.

He’s powerfully built at 6-foot and 236 pounds. Stein has options: test the Hawkeyes’ highly-ranked secondary and risk the entire offense being out of rhythm if the passing attack completely falters, or lean into Davison on the ground and hope that that opens up Moore’s opportunities through the air.

Either one will be highly intriguing to see how it plays out.

Can Oregon curb Iowa’s home-field advantage early on?

Kinnick Stadium provides Iowa with one of the best home-field advantages in all of college football, as 70,000-plus will be packed inside the venue in which a mere ten yards — or less — separate the fans from the players on the sideline.

The easiest way to calm down a raucous crowd is to get out to a fast start. That can be with either of Stein’s options: a downfield pass for a touchdown that silences the crowd in an instant, or grinding it all the way down the field for a rushing score, deflating the crowd along the way.

Either way, it’s imperative for the Ducks to not fall behind early.

If that happens, Kinnick will be roaring and rocking, looking for an upset win over a top-10 team as the Hawkeyes eye their own potential CFP berth.

How big of a factor will special teams be?

With the potential of this being a low-scoring affair, every point matters.

Kicker Atticus Sappington knows that all too well, as he missed a 36-yard field goal in the final two minutes of the first half against Indiana that the Hoosiers turned into their own field goal at the buzzer, gaining the lead at halftime.

If Oregon is stopped in the red zone and is forced to “take the points,” they have to be confident that Sappington will nail the kick through the uprights.

Can the Ducks’ offensive line hold up?

The Ducks’ only loss this season occurred because of a variety of reasons, but one of the biggest was the offensive line surrendering six sacks. The Hoosiers’ defensive line downright dominated them on that day, making Moore’s job extremely hard.

It wasn’t all on the offensive line however, as Moore needed to get the ball out quicker and help his line out. That is something he’ll have to do against the Hawkeyes.

But as mentioned, Iowa’s defensive line is no joke.

Max Llewellyn is the catalyst, as he has six sacks on the season including a pair of forced fumbles. Fellow defensive lineman Aaron Graves and Ethan Hurkett aren’t far behind, each tallying four sacks thus far. It’s hard to see Oregon having much of a chance to win if they can’t protect Moore in critical moments.

Another six-sack effort from the opposition would almost certainly spell doom for the Ducks.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: 5 questions for Oregon Ducks to answer in Week 11 clash with Iowa

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