January 6, 2026
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Head Coach: Dan Lanning
Overall: 48-7 (17-1 in Big Ten)
Bowl Appearances at Oregon: Four
2024 Record: 13-1 (9-0)
Mascot: The Duck
Colors: Green and Yellow
Outfitter: Nike
National Titles: 0
Conference Titles: 17 (most recently in 2024)
Heisman Winners: Marcus Mariota (2014)
Last Week: 23-0 Win Over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl
Betting Information
Indiana (-3.5) vs. Oregon | Total of 46.5
Statistical Leaders
Passing: Dante Moore – 272 of 373 (72.9%) for 3280 yards with 28 TDs and 9 INTs
Rushing: Noah Whittington – 129 rushes for 829 yards with 6 TDs
Receiving: Malik Benson – 41 receptions for 696 yards with 6 TDs
Tackles: Bryce Boettcher – 125 tackles with 49 solo
Ducks Talking Points
- Dante Moore and the High-Flying Ducks
The main question surrounding the Oregon Ducks entering the 2025 season was how prepared Dante Moore was to take over control of the attack. The former five-star prospect began his career at UCLA, started briefly and then left for Oregon and served as the understudy to Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Dan Lanning chose not to pursue anyone in the transfer portal, indicating a lot of confidence in Dante Moore’s ability to lead his team’s attack and keep the offense humming at a high standard. It is fair to say that Moore has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations. The redshirt sophomore is completing nearly 75 percent of his passes and has 29 touchdowns, despite missing some of the players expected to be his key weapons for chunks of the season. Dante Moore is now getting buzz as a competitor to Fernando Mendoza for the number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft (if he chooses to declare).
There continues to be whispers that receiver Evan Stewart is “close” to returning to action but he’s yet to make an appearance this season. Nonetheless, the Ducks have a bunch of weapons and they spread the ball around. Malik Benson leads the team in yards but tight end Kenyon Sadiq has the most receptions (46) and is as physically-gifted as any player at that position in the country. Jeremiah McClellan, Dakorien Moore, Jamari Johnson, Gary Bryant Jr., Dierre Hill Jr., Noah Whittington, Jayden Limar and Jordon Davison all have double-digit receptions on the season. The Ducks excel in getting the ball into the hands of their playmakers in space and picking up yards after the catch. Much like Alabama, the Oregon offense will challenge IU’s ability to tackle in space. The Hoosiers have passed that test all season and they’ll need to do so again on Friday evening.
2. Lanning’s Elite Defense
Most of the attention paid to the Oregon program centers around the high-flying offense and the multitude of flashy uniform combinations from Phil Knight’s favorite place to give his money. Dan Lanning is, at his core, a defensive coach and he has built his roster with elite recruiting on both sides of the ball. The Ducks are only allowing 3.31 yards per rush and just 4.29 yards per play while allowing only 15.1 points per game. That includes a dominant shutout in the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech as they forced the Red Raiders into four turnovers. The defense is designed to make life difficult on opposing quarterbacks and they are allowing only 49.87% of passes to be completed, the third-best mark in the nation. Oregon’s young secondary is better than it was when these two met in Eugene earlier this season and Brandon Finney Jr. and Aaron Flowers have developed into a terrific freshmen tandem. The Hoosiers will need to locate linebackers Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei as they lead the Ducks in sacks and have combined for 15.5 with no other Oregon player exceeding two on the season.
3. Familiar Foe
These two teams know each other but it would be foolish to assume this matchup will have all that much in common with the regular season game back in game number five. Both Oregon and Indiana have changed a lot since that time and both coaching staffs will be looking to surprise their opponent with new wrinkles. Two potential speed bumps for Oregon in this game: travel and the time available to their coaching staff. The Ducks traveled from Eugene to Miami to play in the Orange Bowl last week. They headed back West and are now returning to the Eastern time zone to play in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Will that travel cause some fatigue for the Ducks? The second issue involves their coordinators and their divided attention. Offensive coordinator Will Stein is the new head coach for Kentucky and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi is now the head coach for the Cal Golden Bears. Those two will do everything they can to be prepared for this game but they have to build a staff and try to assemble a roster at their new positions. In a game that could be decided in the very fine margins, that could make a difference.