DSC Inside Read: 3-2-1 Look at Indiana

 

3-2-1 Look Ahead: Oregon vs. Indiana

When No. 3 Oregon returns home for ESPN’s College GameDay and a top-ten showdown with No. 7 Indiana, Autzen Stadium will once again be the center of the college-football universe. The Ducks are coming off a program-defining double-overtime win at Penn State; Indiana is 5-0 and shredding opponents at nearly 48 points per game behind one of the most balanced attacks in the nation. Here’s this week’s 3-2-1 Look Ahead — three observations, two questions, and one bold prediction as Oregon heads into its biggest regular-season test so far.

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Three Observations

1. Indiana’s offense is dangerously efficient — but untested by a defense like Oregon’s.
The Hoosiers are averaging 538 yards and 47.8 points per game, with an eye-popping 7.5 yards per play. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been laser-accurate (72.9%, 197.7 rating, 16 TD, 1 INT) while Indiana has already posted 19 passing touchdowns to just one interception. Add in a three-headed rushing attack — Kaelon Black (353 yards, 6.3 YPC), Roman Hemby (363, 5.4), and Khobie Martin (222, 8.9) — and you get a team that’s converting 58% of its third downs and out-possessing opponents by nearly 10 minutes per game.
Oregon, meanwhile, just held Penn State to 276 total yards and 69 in the first half, allowing only 24 points in double OT. This will be strength versus strength — an elite tempo offense against a defense that’s learning to win with restraint, leverage, and gap control.

2. Oregon’s offensive patience will be tested by a front that loves chaos.
Indiana’s defense is far from passive. They’ve already notched 16 sacks and 49 TFLs in five games, led by Isaiah Jones (8 TFL, 3.5 sacks) and Tyrique Tucker (5 TFL, 3 sacks). The Hoosiers blitz from depth, gamble on first down, and dare you to hold up in protection — something Oregon’s tackles (Harkey low-60s, World low-50s PFF) will have to prove they can handle. Expect Dan Lanning to emphasize the interior run game again, leaning on Pregnon and Laloulu to blunt pressure and open play-action windows for Dante Moore, who enters the week completing 74% with 3 TDs and no turnovers at Penn State.

3. The atmosphere will be different — but the stakes are higher.
After silencing the White Out, Oregon now gets to feed off the opposite energy: the GameDay crowd and Autzen’s relentless noise. The Ducks haven’t lost a home game under Lanning, and their last four Autzen wins have come by an average of 26 points. But Indiana’s precision offense travels well — 73% completions, 6.1 yards per carry, zero fumbles lost in the last three games — meaning Oregon will need discipline, not just emotion. The crowd may be the twelfth man; communication will be the thirteenth.

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Two Questions

1. Can Oregon’s defensive front replicate its gap integrity against a zone-stretch, tempo offense?
Indiana thrives on widening the field with motion and quick reads, averaging 267.8 rushing yards per game. If Oregon’s front seven (anchored by Bear Alexander, Tuioti, and Matayo Uiagalelei) can force second-and-long and take away the cutback lanes, they can suffocate drives the same way they did in Happy Valley. But if Indiana gets four-yard chunks early, Oregon’s linebackers could be put in run-pass conflict all afternoon.

2. Will Oregon’s explosive plays return — or is this team now built for control?
Against Penn State, Oregon ran 78 plays but produced only seven “big plays” over 15 yards. The Ducks won by discipline, not dynamite. Indiana, however, has eight touchdown passes over 30 yards and two 70-yard scores on the ground. Oregon’s offensive ceiling may depend on whether Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. can stretch the field without sacrificing ball security. Is Lanning willing to open the throttle again, or will Oregon continue to win the slow knife fight?

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One Bold Prediction

Oregon holds Indiana under 24 points and announces itself as the most complete team in college football.
Indiana hasn’t faced a defense with Oregon’s balance of speed and power — 2 sacks, 5 TFL, and just 4 penalties at Penn State tell the story of a group playing clean and fast. The Ducks’ offense may not need fireworks; they’ll use possession, physicality, and efficiency to strangle tempo and wear down a Hoosier defense that’s spent most of the season feasting on mismatches. Expect Autzen to explode early, Moore to stay poised, and Lanning’s defense to make a national statement on GameDay’s biggest stage.

Oregon 31, Indiana 20.

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