September 24, 2025
This weekend’s game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions is scheduled for Saturday, September 27th at 7:30 pm. As a matter of fact, there aren’t any games featuring Big Ten teams scheduled for Friday night. All six games will be played on Saturday.
Third ranked, Penn State, is home again for their fourth straight game, and so far at home, they’ve put wins together against Nevada, Florida International, and Villanova. That’s not that impressive, however, Florida International did seem decent. Penn State was leading 10-0 at halftime, and I guess most fans expected to see a 35-0 halftime score.
Oregon is sitting steady at number six in the AP Top 25, and the Ducks actually have four games under their belt. Oregon won twice at home against Montana State and Oklahoma State and twice on the road against Northwestern and Oregon State. Northwestern was somewhat successful running the football against the Ducks. Even if you take away Dashun Reeder’s 79-yard run in the fourth quarter, Joseph Himon and Caleb Komolafe combined for 28 carries and 112 yards. Northwestern had 178 yards of total rushing offense when it was all said and done.
When I look at this game between Oregon and Penn State, from a prediction standpoint, I’m looking at it like it’s the first game of the season for both teams because both teams came into this season with such high expectations, and neither has faced an opponent of equal caliber. In a sense, it’s like it’s all practice leading up to this point, and Oregon got a little bit more practice in.
Up to this point, Penn State quarterback, Drew Allar, hasn’t really been that impressive. In three games, he’s completing 65% of his passes for an average of 208 yards and 4 touchdowns. I mean, wow, that hardly sounds like the numbers of a quarterback who’s running the offense of a team ranked third in the country, but they must have something going for them.
Penn State has an excellent backfield with senior running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Their offensive line is very good too. Luke Reynolds, their tight end, has 13 catches for 142 yards, and the wide receiver transfer from USC, Kyron Hudson, caught 14 balls for 156 yards and 1 touchdown. The point is that they do have guys who catch the ball, and when you add everything up, Drew Allar, seems to be getting the job done.
I expect Oregon to commit to stopping the run this weekend even though stopping the run hasn’t exactly been their greatest strength so far. If the Duck defense is effective against the run, then maybe they can put the pressure on Allar, and we’ll finally get to see what he’s made of.
How good is Penn State’s defense? We’ll find out this weekend.
Oregon’s quarterback, Dante Moore, is their leader, and he just played his best game of the season in Week 4 against Oregon State. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Their running back situation isn’t as stable as Penn State’s. Tulane transfer, Makhi Huges, was supposed to be the starter, but the job was won by Noah Whittington. Then, Whittington got hurt and missed the Northwestern game. He’s expected to return this week for Penn State, but if he’s limited or can’t go at all, we’ll probably see a lot of Jayden Limar.
Oregon’s tight end, Kenyon Sadiq, is athletic with good hands. Senior wide receiver, Evan Stewart, is still recovering from an offseason knee injury, but Gary Bryant Jr. and Dakorian Moore are stepping up.
You know what, I feel really good about Oregon going to Happy Valley and stealing a win this weekend. Penn State has definitely been flying under the radar, but there’s no holding back this week. The Nittany Lions will have to show up on both sides of the ball for this one because we’re not talking about Villanova anymore.
I expect Penn State to play a Big Ten style game, which is ball control, clock control, and hard defense, but the Penn State defense hasn’t faced an offense like Oregon yet. So, while I’m sure they’ll be capable of executing their plans offensively, it all goes out the window if Penn State’s defense can’t stop Dante Moore and the Duck’s offense.
I haven’t seen enough yet, so I’m going with Ducks.
Nooz Buffet 