We knew that a lot of things were going to change for the Oregon Ducks when they transitioned from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, but after Saturday’s game in Chicago, it appears that one thing stayed the same: The Ducks still have their version of the Stanford Cardinal.
The Northwestern Wildcats will never be able to recreate the rivalry with Oregon that the Cardinal had, but when it comes to strange-feeling, discombobulated games that make fans leave feeling uneasy, it appears that the Wildcats are capable of providing. The Ducks left Chicago with a 34-14 win, improving to 3-0 (1-0 Big Ten) on the season, but it certainly wasn’t pretty.
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Things started slowly for the Ducks, and the ending put a “sour taste” in Dan Lanning’s mouth after Northwestern scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. What transpired in the middle was largely positive and reminiscent of what we’ve seen from this Oregon team throughout the year, but in general, the performance as a whole left a lot to be desired.
In the end, a win is a win, though, and the Ducks will have a chance to clean some things up as they prepare for a rivalry game this coming week against the Oregon State Beavers. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from the early morning game in Chicago:
A ‘Sour Taste’
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 13: Dakorien Moore #1 of the Oregon Ducks is tackled by Ore Adeyi #7 and Robert Fitzgerald #6 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
For the first three quarters of this game, the Oregon Ducks played some excellent football. While they got off to a slow start, things quickly turned around, and they were able to move the ball, put up points, and wreak some havoc on defense, pitching a 31-0 shutout by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.
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And then the fourth quarter happened. Oregon gave up 14 points, including a 79-yard touchdown run, with the backups in the game, and a dominant 34-0 road win quickly turned into a relatively disappointing 34-14 victory. After the game, Lanning didn’t seem pleased.
“I’ve got a little sour taste in my mouth with the way we ended,” Lanning said on the FOX broadcast after the game. “We gotta be able to win the fourth quarter, but ultimately, I thought I saw some good play. There’s gonna be some stuff we can build off of.”
If you want to look at the bright side of things, it may be a good thing that Oregon feels unsatisfied after this 20-point win, and will once again be coached hard this week, leading up to a Civil War matchup back in Eugene on Saturday. There were a lot of positive things to take away from the game as a whole, but ultimately, the Ducks did not play up to their standard in this game, and I think everyone feels it.
The Slow Start and Ugly Game
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 13: Aidan Hubbard #91 of the Northwestern Wildcats tackles Jayden Limar #27 of the Oregon Ducks during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Ducks punted on their first drive of the game.
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That’s enough to tell you that it was an abnormal start to the game. After picking up an early first down, Oregon quickly stalled and had to kick the ball away. If it weren’t for an interception from Bryce Boettcher on the first defensive series, things could have gotten a bit uncomfortable, too, as Northwestern found a way to move the ball on its first offensive drive and get a handful of first downs.
In all, it was a very slow start to the game, with the Ducks mustering just 49 yards of offense in the first quarter, but they were able to get things going as the game went along, and they found a rhythm.
While the offense looked good, one concern coming from this game is Oregon’s run defense, which is not a new problem. Early this year, the Ducks have been stout against the run, but they did give up 179 yards on the ground today. If you were to take away the one rush for 79 yards late in the game, the stats look a lot better, but as Lanning will tell you, even the backups are expected to rise to a standard, and they didn’t on Saturday.
Dante Moore is Human
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 13: Dante Moore #5 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates a touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Dante Moore had another really great game for the Ducks, completing 16-of-20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. He made some really impressive throws, including a laser down the seam to Kenyon Sadiq for a touchdown, and a rocket to the right sideline for a big first down completion.
However, Moore also had his first interception of the season, which came on a shot play over the middle to Dakorien Moore. The defense was in a two-high shell, and the middle linebacker floated back and was able to undercut the route. It may have been the first big mistake for Moore on the season, but as Lanning said after the game, it wasn’t a bad throw, and he was outstanding for the most part on the day.
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No Penalties
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks waits to lead the team on to the field against the Northwestern Wildcats at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
For the first time since the 2000 season, the Oregon Ducks were not flagged for a penalty in this game. While that may not be as impressive on the road, considering the environment that they played in, it is a game where a lot of backups got onto the field, playing a clean contest is certainly noteworthy.
“More than anything, you get what you emphasize, and we emphasize that a lot,” Lanning said. “When we don’t be ourselves, we’ve got a chance to have success. That was a big emphasis this week, and it showed up. We operated clean, and we’re going to have to continue to do that to help ourselves out.”
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After a week where they had multiple pre-snap penalties called against them vs. Oklahoma State, this is a great improvement for the Ducks.
The Repeat Standouts
Sep 13, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Jerry Mixon (54) intercepts a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
At this point, we’ve got enough of a sample size to know who some unheralded players are going to be for this team, and who is stepping up that wasn’t considered a household name before the season started. For the most part, I have been incredibly impressed with guys like LB Jerry Mixon, RB Dierre Hill, RB Jordon Davison, and WR Cooper Perry, three of whom are true freshmen.
Mixon had his second interception of the season on Saturday, and he made a huge tackle on the goal line that momentarily saved a touchdown for the Ducks. Meanwhile, Hill has looked like the most explosive RB on the roster for Oregon, taking a carry 66 yards for a touchdown on Saturday, and Davison got into the endzone yet again for his fifth TD in three games. At the WR position, Perry has not put up gaudy numbers just yet, but the team routinely goes to him in some important spots and calls his number, which is very notable for a true freshman.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: 5 takeaways from Oregon Ducks’ 34-14 win over Northwestern Wildcats
