Before every game, I ask a reporter who covers the Gophers’ upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective.
I asked Zachary Neel from Ducks Wire six questions about the Oregon Ducks.
Minnesota makes its first trip to Eugene, Oregon, to take on No. 8 Oregon Ducks on Friday Night. The game will be nationally televised on FOX. This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs. Minnesota leads the all-time series, 3-1. The Gophers have yet to win a game on the road this season.
Huge thanks to Zachary for giving us his thoughts!
GH: 2024 was the first year the Oregon Ducks played in the Big Ten Conference. In their first year, they would beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship but would fall to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, a college football playoff quarterfinal. What were the expectations of this 2025 squad? In your opinion, have they met those expectations so far this season?
ZN: Expectations got reset going into 2025 because the team looked wildly different from a year before after sending 10 players to the NFL Draft. This new group is very talented, but also very young. Because of that, many Oregon fans went into the 2025 season with expectations of making it back to the College Football Playoff and, hopefully, getting to the quarterfinals. Anything beyond that was additive. So far, so good.
GH: The Ducks are coming off a big road victory, having gone into Iowa City and won. What went right for the Ducks last week against Iowa? Were there any areas that caused concern?
ZN: The Ducks did what a lot of teams have been unable to do over the past couple of decades, and that’s beat Iowa while playing Iowa football. In a game with harsh weather conditions, and without four offensive starters — including their three best pass-catchers — Oregon committed to the run and rushed for more yards, 261, than any team has against Iowa since 2022, and more yards per carry, 7.3, than anyone has on the Hawkeyes since 2014. This is a good Iowa defense, so that result was impressive. As far as cause for concern, the injuries are a bit worrying. Should the Ducks be without the likes of Dakorien Moore, Kenyon Sadiq, Gary Bryant, and Alex Harkey for the foreseeable future, things could get dicey.
GH: The Ducks are third in the Big Ten in scoring and yards per game, averaging 38.7 points and 471 yards. Nobody in the conference has more rushing yards per game (239) than Oregon. What makes the Ducks’ rush attack so effective and dangerous? Does this offense have any weaknesses?
ZN: The rushing success has been due to a multitude of things, but no more than Oregon’s depth at running back. They have a true three-headed unit comprising of Noah Whittington, the veteran, and then Jordon Davison and DIerre Hill Jr., a pair of true freshmen who have burst onto the scene. The Ducks’ ability to rotate them throughout the game and keep everyone fresh has been huge, not to mention the offensive line’s stellar play up to this point. As far as general weaknesses go, there aren’t many. All I would say is that up until this past week, Oregon had shown an inability to be explosive against good defenses — they averaged 21 offensive points per game in regulation against Penn State, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Northwestern, while averaging over 50 points per game vs. Montana State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, and Rutgers.
GH: Oregon is near the top in every statistical category that you want. The defense is giving up 239 yards per game, which is second-best in the Big Ten. What makes this defense so challenging to play against? In what ways have teams found success moving the ball against the Ducks?
ZN: The defense is very strong at every level, but none more so than the secondary. Oregon has the No. 1 passing defense in the nation, an they are led by a pair of freshmen at cornerback who have been revelations at the position. True freshman Brandon Finney is in line to be a potential All-American at the position, not just a freshman All-American, and the safeties, Dillon Thieneman and Aaron Flowers, have been incredibly strong in run support. On top of that, the Ducks have four future NFL players on the defensive line in A’Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Teitum Tuioti. The weakest part of the defense has been linebacker up to this point, but the rest of the unit is so good that they have managed to be good despite the shortcomings in the middle.
GH: No team in the country is healthy at this point in the season. Are there any impact players in jeopardy of missing the game against Minnesota?
ZN: I touched on this earlier, but the answer is a giant “YES.” Oregon was without four starters on offense vs. Iowa, including their three best pass-catchers. On a short week after a very physical game against the Hawkeyes, there are real concerns about whether or not WR Dakorien Moore, WR Gary Bryant Jr., TE Kenyon Sadiq, or OT Alex Harkey can play. However, the Ducks are also close to getting WR Evan Stewart back, who has missed the entire season thus far because of an offseason knee injury. Health is definitely a concern in Eugene right now.
GH: Friday’s game between Minnesota and Oregon will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs. This will be the first game in Eugene. Minnesota is 3-1 all-time against the Ducks. The last time these two teams faced each other was in the 2003 Sun Bowl, where the Gophers won 31-30
Minnesota travels to Oregon as 25-point underdogs. What does Oregon need to do to win its fourth game in a row? What is your prediction for the game?
ZN: If I’m Oregon, all I’m trying to do is get out of there with a win on Friday. I don’t care about the point spread, I don’t care about style points, all I want to do is leave with a win, and stay as healthy as possible. With games against USC and Washington to close the year — and this game coming on a short week after a physical game — my goal would be to run the ball as much as possible, keep the clock moving, and get onto the next game. I’ve got Oregon 31, Minnesota 10.