Fifth Quarter 2025: Northwestern

 

Today in the Fifth Quarter on a limited-possession grinder on the shore of Lake Michigan—with wind, false crowd noise, and a methodical opponent—Oregon leaned on discipline (zero penalties), situational offense, and ball production on defense to beat Northwestern 34–14. A late-half, 89-yard two-minute drill from Dante Moore, a third-quarter lightning bolt from Dierre Hill Jr. (66-yard TD), and takeaways by Bryce Boettcher and Jerry Mixon framed a win that wasn’t flashy so much as grown-up. As Dan Lanning put it, the Ducks “lacked a little killer instinct at the end,” but they were composed, efficient on money downs, and explosive at the right moments—exactly the kind of road résumé line that travels.

Offense — B+

Oregon didn’t overwhelm Northwestern snap-to-snap, but it controlled leverage downs and explosives. The Ducks were 7-for-11 on third down (63.6%) with 6.0 yards per play and a first-down average of 8.1 yards (202 yards on 25 first-down plays). The offense generated nine explosive plays for 215 yards, and the sack-adjusted rushing average hit 6.0 yards per carry.

The opening script met resistance: Northwestern’s two-high contours and early four-man wins muddied Oregon’s pass pro and throttled the inside zone. Credit Will Stein’s mid-game pivot—more motion, rollouts and RPO access throws—to reframe first down and stay out of the Wildcat Tampa-2 traps. The end-of-half 11-play, 89-yard march was clinic-level: Dante Moore ripped a 24-yard TD to Kenyon Sadiq with :31 left after converting behind the sticks twice. Moore went 16-of-20 for 178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and was excellent on the move; his across-the-body strike to Malik Benson was one of the day’s best throws. On the pick, Moore owned the decision and the conditions: “It’s been a little while since I threw a pick…Mother Nature playing on Lake Michigan, it’s windy…The wind got under it… I just gotta flush it.”

The run game lacked its usual rhythm without Noah Whittington, but still flashed: Dierre Hill Jr. detonated the second-half with a 66-yard TD (5 carries, 94 yards). Jayden Limar (11 for 38, TD) supplied tough, situational yards and the goal-line pitch score after Bryce Boettcher’s takeaway. Limar on handling limited possessions: “Only four in the first half…we bounced back and scored on the next drive—showed we could respond.”

Advanced tells: Oregon’s Field Position Rate 51% (vs. NU 26%) and 51/49 run-pass gain split (sack-adjusted) signal a balanced, on-schedule approach once the adjustments hit.

PFF highlights (offense):

• Dierre Hill Jr. 93.0, Dakorien Moore 79.0, Dante Moore 79.0, Jay Harris 78.2, Malik Benson 76.4, Kenyon Sadiq 74.7 — top third of the unit, mirroring the eye test.

Key offensive players: Dante Moore, Dierre Hill Jr., Malik Benson, Kenyon Sadiq, Jay Harris.

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Defense — B+

For three quarters, this was advantageous defense: constrict spacing, squeeze windows, win the turnover margin, then cash it in. Northwestern finished 11-of-22 for 135 yards with two interceptions, and was 3-for-11 on third down (27.3%). Oregon produced two sacks (Matayo Uiagalelei headlining) and two takeaways—both tone-setters.

The first came early: Bryce Boettcher’s tip-drill interception flipped the field and turned into 7-0. Boettcher: “I was keying the QB…a little out of reach on the first one…made up for it a couple plays later.” The second was Jerry Mixon’s jump-the-eyes theft (nearly a second straight pick-six): “We go against the best in practice… I treat the games like practice—execute, and it shows.” Mixon and Boettcher are giving Oregon exactly what Dan Lanning emphasized postgame: “Ball production…they bait it…then break on the ball.”

Caveat: run fits and tackling. Designed runs bit Oregon more than the totals suggest; NU backs were humming at 5.2 YPC after their first drive of the third quarter. Late, the reserves leaked explosive ground gains, including the 79-yard bust—part of what Lanning called a missing “killer instinct.” The front did find late down answers (Matayo’s sack, A’Mauri Washington’s 4th-and-1 stonewall), but the middle-eight and finish will be louder coaching points than the box score.

PFF highlights (defense):

• Jerry Mixon 80.7, Jadon Canady 75.0, Matayo Uiagalelei 72.4, Peyton Woodyard 71.5, Aaron Flowers 70.4 — a ball-aware back seven supported by timely edge wins.

Key defensive players: Jerry Mixon, Bryce Boettcher, Matayo Uiagalelei, Peyton Woodyard, Aaron Flowers, A’Mauri Washington.

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Special Teams — B

The ledger tilts positive: Atticus Sappington 2-for-2 (long 42), steady operation in cross-winds; Ferguson-Reynolds twice pinned NU inside the 10 (2 punts, I-20 x2); Gary Bryant Jr. added a composed 9-yard punt return. Coverage and kickoff placement, though, blinked: NU popped a 39-yard return into short field in Q1, part of the wind management challenge Lanning flagged: “We knew that ball was going to come out and we didn’t do a good job covering there.” Net punt was modest (38.5), but the situational pins outweighed the average.

Key special teams players: Atticus Sappington, Josh Ferguson-Reynolds, Gary Bryant Jr.

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Coaching — A-

This was a game-plan chess match more than a track meet, and Oregon’s staff won the pivot points. Stein’s adjustment package (rollouts, change-ups to stress Tampa-2, tempo toggles) turned a sluggish start into a three-series, three-score burst out of halftime. The two-minute drill before the break showcased practice translation that Dante spotlighted: “I go back to practice…Coach Lanning loves to see how I face adversity. I loved the adversity today.”

Defensively, Tosh Lupoi’s group blended patience with calculated pressure—advantageous defense that traded early down patience for takeaway shots and third-down answers (27.3% allowed). Personnel management aligned with Lanning’s “strength in numbers” ethos—three QBs saw the field and the rotation stayed live without sacrificing discipline; Oregon finished with zero penalties. Lanning’s critique is fair and useful: “We lacked a little killer instinct at the end…We’ve got to take advantage of every series…we didn’t finish the way I want to finish.” That’s the knock separating A from A-.

Key coaching figures: Will Stein (offensive adjustments/first-down efficiency), Tosh Lupoi (takeaway mindset/3rd-down plan), Dan Lanning (discipline/rotational standard, situational management).

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Bottom Line

Northwestern’s Cover-2/Tampa-2 shell and methodical pace turned this into a limited-possession, efficiency exam. Oregon passed by winning first down, third down, and turnovers—and by letting its best players decide key moments. The Ducks were not flawless—finish and run fits headline the self-scout—but they were disciplined (0 penalties), situationally excellent, and explosive when it counted. In a “bare-knuckle” road game, as Limar put it, that travels.