Running back Noah Whittington and Oregon claimed a gutsy road win Saturday at Iowa. Matthew Holst / Getty Images
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Oregon needed to show some guts to stay in the College Football Playoff race. It did so and more in a tough 18-16 victory over No. 20 Iowa on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
On a cold and rainy afternoon, the No. 9 Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) dominated the Big Ten’s top run defense with 261 yards on the ground to keep alive their Big Ten championship hopes. But after Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:51 left, the Ducks neede…
Running back Noah Whittington and Oregon claimed a gutsy road win Saturday at Iowa. Matthew Holst / Getty Images
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Oregon needed to show some guts to stay in the College Football Playoff race. It did so and more in a tough 18-16 victory over No. 20 Iowa on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
On a cold and rainy afternoon, the No. 9 Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) dominated the Big Ten’s top run defense with 261 yards on the ground to keep alive their Big Ten championship hopes. But after Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:51 left, the Ducks needed its passing game to respond. With quarterback Dante Moore, it did.
Moore connected with receiver Malik Benson on a 24-yard go route to put Oregon in field goal range. Four plays later, kicker Atticus Sappington hit a 39-yard field goal with 3 seconds left for the victory.
The Ducks are now 8-0 on the road in the Big Ten since joining the conference.
Oregon had not impressed the CFP selection committee before the inaugural rankings, falling from No. 6 in the Associated Press poll. Before Saturday, it had beaten only one team with a winning record (Northwestern) and had a lackluster recent victory against Wisconsin. Against Iowa, the Ducks found a hardened, physical team that tested Indiana and was ascending. Without wide receiver injured Dakorien Moore, Oregon’s offense was limited but chose to attack the Hawkeyes on the ground. Its running game entered the day ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and proved it throughout the contest.
Oregon’s comeback win erased the Hawkeyes’ own fourth-quarter rally. Iowa (6-3, 4-2) trailed by 8 entering the fourth quarter. Gronowski, the winningest quarterback in NCAA football history with 55 career victories, directed a 93-yard, 12-play drive to give Iowa a 16-15 lead. Gronowski’s 2-point conversion pass was completed to running back Kamari Moulton, but after a replay, Moulton was ruled out of bounds.
Nov 9, 2025
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Scott Dochterman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering national college football and the Big Ten. He previously covered Iowa athletics for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Land of 10.