While their College Football Playoff goals may be out of reach, the Oregon Ducks (4-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) still have much to play for this season, and that continues on Saturday against the No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten). 

Under coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks have been as good as any team in college football at home. Oregon posts a 29-3 record at Autzen Stadium. One of those losses came this season against the only remaining undefeated team in the Big Ten, the No. 7 UCLA Bruins.

Looking to their third win against a ranked opponent this season, the Ducks are set to get key players back on Saturday, most notably at the wide receiver position with the return of Evan Stewart and Jalen Lott. Messiah Hampton was upgraded to out on Friday's report, a crushing blow for the Ducks.

However, there’s still several injury concerns on the Ducks roster ahead of Saturday’s showdown against the Wildcats. Here’s a look at the Ducks' current injuries, per the Ducks' availability report.  

Oregon Ducks Injury Report vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Out 

• WR Jeremiah McClellan
• QB Dante Moore
• WR Messiah Hampton
• DB Aaron Flowers
• LB Brayden Platt
• DL Matthew Johnson
• OL Trent Ferguson
• OL Dave Iuli

Questionable

• WR Iverson Hooks

Offensive Line Concerns Mount For Oregon Ducks

For a struggling Ducks offense that just parted ways with their offensive coordinator, Drew Mehringer, after its 21-10 road loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini in Champaign, the offensive line remains a concern. 

The Ducks will be missing two key offensive linemen on Saturday, including Trent Ferguson and Dave Iuli. Throughout the season, the Ducks have tried several offensive line combinations, but none have worked out for Oregon. 

With Jay Johnson taking over the offensive play-calling duties after Mehringer’s dismissal, offensive line protection for the Ducks will be among the keys to victory over the Wildcats on Saturday. 

Dylan Raiola Earns Third Start At Quarterback For Oregon

With Ducks quarterback Dante Moore officially out for the season, Dylan Raiola earns the start again on Saturday against the Wildcats. In the loss to the Fighting Illini, Raiola played better than in his first start against the Bruins, but still struggled at times, finishing with 246 yards on 27 of 41 passes.

Since Moore has been sidelined, Lanning has stressed the importance of better quarterback play for the Ducks, and they hope to get more of that on Saturday in their efforts to beat the Wildcats. 

“Yeah, consistency,” Lanning said about what he wants from the position. “And again, we've got to be able to make sure that we can help create consistency with play calls. We’ve been a really good quarterback room off the bench. We haven’t been a really good quarterback room consistently at the start of games.”

To beat the Wildcats on Saturday, the Ducks must be consistent in all three phases as they’ll be playing a talented Northwestern team led by quarterback Aidan Chiles and former Ducks coach Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator.

Northwestern coach David Braun has done a tremendous job rebuilding the Wildcats program, as he has them in the thick of the Big Ten title and CFP race, with their one loss this season coming on the road to the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers, where they only lost 29-23. 

Despite being the unranked opponent in this matchup, the Ducks are 3.5-point favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook. The Ducks and Wildcats will kick off at Autzen Stadium at 12:30 p.m. PT, with the game broadcast on Peacock.

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