How will Oregon Ducks cope with Noah Whittington’s injury absence?

Oregon was dealt its first major injury blow of the season during Saturday’s win over Colorado when standout running back Noah Whittington left the game midway through the third quarter with an apparent left leg injury and was later carted back to the locker room.

When asked about the nature of Whittington’s injury after the game, Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning delivered a bleak outlook.

“I don’t normally talk about injuries and I think there is still more to be decided here, but I think Noah is going to be down for a bit,” Lanning said on Saturday. “I need everyone to say prayers for him. He’s healthy. He’s OK. But he’s probably going to be down for a little bit. I need everyone to have Noah in your prayers. That is a tough kid who we’re really proud of and fortunate to have. There are bright days ahead for Noah. I just don’t know that we will have him in here in the next few weeks.”

In four games this season, Whittington has run for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries while averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

Throughout his time with the Ducks, Whittington, who transferred in from Western Kentucky ahead of the 2022 season, has been among the Pac-12’s most productive running backs despite splitting carries with preseason all-conference junior Bucky Irving and standout sophomore Jordan James.

During his Monday press conference, Lanning did not provide an injury timeline when asked about Whittington’s injury. But he acknowledged the impact that his absence will have on the program — both on and off the field.

“Well, first (Oregon’s players) hurt for Noah because they know this is a guy that steps on the field every single day and he works his tail off,” Lanning said. “He might not say a word. I mean, he’s a guy that, we talked about guys to talk with their pads, that’s Noah. He’s tough. This guy’s from Peach County. Anybody that hasn’t been there wouldn’t know, but if you’ve been there you realize what that means. So those guys hurt for him.”

Oregon boasts one of the most effective rushing attacks in the country. It leads the nation in rushing yards per attempt at 6.98 and ranks seventh nationally with 232 rushing yards per game.

But, how will the Ducks cope with one-third of their star running back trio sidelined?

“It takes what it takes, right? We’re gonna play as many guys that can play winning football for us and play at a high level,” Lanning said. “We’re fortunate that we’re one of the teams in the league that are fortunate to have great backs. So I’m really pleased with the guys that we have in that room. I know we can get it done with the guys in that room. We’ll see how people’s role will grow in the next few weeks as we adapt and adjust based on that.”

Irving has run for 305 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries this season while averaging 8.2 yards per carry. His workload has been somewhat limited as the Ducks have notched blowout wins in three of their four games and haven’t needed to lean on him late.

Even still, Irving has consistently been a home run threat. He ranks 15th nationally with six runs of 15 yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus.

James, who excelled in a short-yardage role for the Ducks in 2022, has seen his role increase during his sophomore campaign. He has run for 209 yards and six touchdowns on 28 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and has already surpassed his yardage total from last season.

Thus far this season, Irving has been Oregon’s preferred pass-catching option out of the backfield. He has been targeted 15 times, which is more than Whittington (nine) and James (five) combined.

It goes without saying that, with Whittington out, Irving and James are going to get the majority of the work for Oregon at running back.

But true freshmen Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell are both former 4-star signees who have flashed plenty of talent in blowout scenarios this season.

Dowdell has run for 61 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. Limar has run for 52 yards on 10 carries and has caught five passes for 25 yards.

Both Dowdell and Limar have played in three games apiece this season. In all likelihood, at least one of them is going to burn their redshirt. For as talented as Irving and James are, it’s hard to imagine the Ducks navigating the remainder of their schedule with just two scholarship running backs.

“We’re going to miss Noah. You don’t just replace Noah with a player — especially his demeanor and his work ethic,” Lanning said. “But we’ve got some great backs in that room that are ready to fill those shoes.”

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