2026 Northwestern Football Know Your Opponent: Oregon Ducks
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Happy Halloween. Northwestern’s real gauntlet begins on Oct. 31 when it travels to Autzen Stadium to take on Oregon. Ever since joining the Big Ten, the Ducks have been among the top teams in the league, and 2026 could be the best team they’ve had yet in this conference.
The Basics
Returning Production: 66% overall (65% offense, 66% defense); 11th in FBS
2025 Record: 13-2 (8-1 B1G)
Head Coach: Dan Lanning (fourth season)
The Stats
2026 SP+ Overall: 2nd
2026 SP+ Offense: 1st
2026 SP+ Defense: 3rd
2026 SP+ Special Teams: 50th
2025 Capsule
Against the masses, Oregon was undefeated. A perfect 13-0 against everyone it played…except for Indiana. The Ducks started the season with five blowout victories, including a 69-3 victory over Oklahoma State—the worst defeat the Cowboys have suffered in over 120 years. Oregon barely got by Penn State in a double-overtime thriller in State College before losing to Indiana at home in front of the Autzen crowd. The Ducks bounced back with a blowout victory over Rutgers, followed by two shaky weeks, where they beat Wisconsin 21-7 and Iowa 18-16. Oregon then blew out Minnesota and beat USC handily before ending the regular season with a win over Washington. Oregon had an 11-1 regular season record in the best league in the country.
Then came the College Football Playoff. Oregon was the No. 5 seed, and it dominated James Madison in the first round. The Ducks followed that performance by pitching a 23-0 shutout against No. 4-seeded Texas Tech—a team that, up to that point, was 12-1 and had won all games by 20 or more points. Then came Oregon football’s 2025 Achilles Heel: Indiana. The Hoosiers made the Ducks look silly in the Peach Bowl to advance to (and go on to win) the College Football Playoff National Championship. In the grand scheme of things, finishing as one of the last four teams is an accomplishment. However, Dan Lanning has yet to get over the hump and win the whole thing in his tenure.
Offensive Overview
Oregon has the best quarterback room in America. Dante Moore, who would have likely been the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft had he declared, returns to Eugene after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns (both 3rd in B1G). While he did throw 10 interceptions, Moore was among the best quarterbacks last season. Behind him, if he does get injured or benched, sits Dylan Raiola. The former five-star QB transferred in this offseason from Nebraska after two seasons, in which he threw for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns. His 2025 season was cut short by a broken right fibula he suffered on Nov. 1 against USC, but with him as the backup option, Oregon can still be elite with both its first and second options at signal-caller.
In the backfield, the Ducks have no shortage of talent or depth. Although Noah Whittington is gone, both Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. return. Davison was the second-leading rusher for Oregon, turning 113 carries into 667 rushing yards and a team-high 15 rushing touchdowns (T-2nd B1G). Hill Jr. was Oregon’s third-leading rusher in 2025. On 75 carries, he rushed for 656 yards and five rushing touchdowns. The Ducks also added Simeon Price from Colorado in the transfer portal to further beef up their already-strong RB group.
Even with their top two pass catchers from 2025 gone, the Ducks return their third, fourth and fifth receiving yard leaders and have a star returning from an injury that sidelined him all of last season. Wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan was third on Oregon in receptions (38) and receiving yards (557). He’s back. Tight end Jamari Johnson caught 32 passes for the fourth-most receiving yards (510) on the Ducks in 2025. He’s back. WR Dakorien Moore finished with 497 receiving yards (5th on team) and 34 receptions (4th on team). Guess what? He’s also back. Each of these three returning pass catchers scored three receiving touchdowns, but that’s not all. Evan Stewart, after missing all of 2025 with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee that he suffered in a summer workout in June, returns for the Ducks. In 2024, he had 48 receptions for 613 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Oh, and I almost forgot. Oregon brought in one of the most highly-rated transfer slot WRs in the country in former UAB Blazer Iverson Hooks. The amount of offense that the Ducks are bringing back at the skill positions is enormous.
The offensive line is the biggest question mark for this offense. Three of Oregon’s starters from 2025 are gone, but the Ducks have been finalists for the Joe Moore Award in each of the last three seasons with A’lique Terry as the O-line coach. Oregon may even end up starting a first-year or two on the offensive line by the end of the season, but this is a position group that has recently been strong no matter what. The headliner on this O-line is Iapani Laloulu, who returns at center after being named a First-Team All-American. With Laloulu, the other returners, the high-profile recruits and the transfers in, the Ducks should be alright in the offensive trenches.
Defensive Overview
On3’s J.D. PicKell ranked Oregon as the No. 1 defense in the country headed into the 2026 season. It starts for the Ducks on the defensive line with A’Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander both returning in the interior. The two IDL’s combined for 11.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks, and are now entering another season with the familiarity of playing together. The depth behind them is a question mark, but the top-end talent is tremendous. At edge, both Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti are back. The duo is one of, if not the, most feared edge rusher duos in all of college football. Uiagalelei had 9.5 TFLs and 6.0 sacks in 2025; Tuioti had 16.0 TFLs and 9.5 sacks in 2025. They also had two forced fumbles each. The Ducks also have Nasir Wyatt coming back, who had 4.0 TFLs and 3.0 sacks of his own.
Linebacker is arguably the weakest position for Oregon this upcoming season despite veteran Bryce Boettcher and his 136 total tackles returning (T-6th in FBS). Jerry Mixon and Devon Jackson combined for 98 total tackles last season and are also back, but the depth behind them is shrouded in question marks.
The secondary for Oregon, like its defensive line, is star-studded. Dillon Thieneman was taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but Minnesota transfer safety Koi Perich is replacing him. Perich is one of the more dynamic kick returners in the country, along with his defensive abilities. Alongside Perich will be returner Aaron Flowers, who had 70 total tackles (3rd on team) in his redshirt-freshman year. There’s also Trey McNutt, who was the No. 4 safety in the 2025 recruiting class but missed much of last season with a leg injury. At cornerback, Ify Obidegwu and Brandon Finney Jr. are both back after exceeding expectations in 2025. Those two are shoo-ins to start on the boundaries. The Ducks’ nickel CB last season, Jadon Canady, was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, so they brought in a pair of transfers to lock down that position. Aaron Scott Jr. comes from Ohio State and Carl Williams IV from Baylor. Williams IV looks to be the favorite right now to be the starting nickel CB to open the season, but Scott Jr. could also be in play. Also in this defensive back room is 2026 four-star Davon Benjamin, who could easily earn a starting spot, likely at nickel, sometime during the season.
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