After the most tumultuous week in recent memory for the Oregon Ducks program, they emerged from the adversity and beat the No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks came back from a 20-13 halftime deficit, winning by a final score of 34-26.
The Wildcats had the upper hand in the first 30 minutes, with quarterback Aidan Chiles — a Oregon State and Michigan State transfer — dicing them up through the air and evading them with ease with his legs. By halftime, he had amassed over 200 total yards and two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing. He looked unstoppable, but that was until the Oregon defensed tightened the screws once they came back from the break.
The Wildcats managed just six points in the second half, while Oregon's
offense came alive despite the absences of star running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. to injuries. In their place, true freshman running back Brandon Smith emerged with over 100 total yards and a touchdown, proving vital to the Ducks' offense in a relief outing. Quarterback Dylan Raiola looked sharp for the most part, surpassing 300 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Let's dive into this week's report card, featuring grades and analysis for every position group. But this week, with the coaching staff being the main topic since the Ducks last took the field, we evaluated the coaches first.
Coaching
Grade: B+
It was a tale of two halves for the coaches on both sides of the ball. In the first half, the offense led by playcaller Jay Johnson couldn't get out of first gear, settling for a pair of field goals in the red zone. The defense, meanwhile, had major trouble corralling Chiles and his top wide receiver, Griffin Wilde, who kept finding open space in the middle areas of the field. But some adjustments were made at halftime, as the Ducks outscored the Wildcats 21-6 in the final 30 minutes, with the offense flowing much more easily as they took shots down the field and the defense, led by Chris Hampton, closed the pocket in on Chiles, negating his creativity and play-making abilities. It was probably a "C-" performance from the coaches in the first half and an "A" in the second half, so a "B+" feels about right.
Quarterbacks
Grade: B+
There were still some scary moments, namely the fumble on the third play for Raiola, but he rebounded nicely and put together a 22-completion, 336-yard, three-touchdown game after weeks of abysmal play. Raiola is at his best when he can put touch on his throws, using his arm strength on deeper and midrange passes with little thinking to do. Where he struggles is on bullet passes, as he clearly puts too much pressure on himself and often short arms passes that should be easy completions. Play caller Jay Johnson schemed up deep and crossing routes for Raiola to stretch his arm out, helping out his quarterback in his first game in that role.
Running Backs
Grade: A
Like everything else about the Ducks' performance, the running backs got off to a slow start in the first half. Jordon Davison (three carries, 17 yards) and Dierre Hill Jr. (four carries, 21 yards) weren't unsuccessful, but didn't see a ton of opportunities. Then, both suffered injuries and missed the second half, making way for true freshman Brandon Smith to take over. He carried the ball eight times for 82 yards and a touchdown while adding four catches for 32 yards in the receiving game, showing off his elite elusiveness and playmaking abilities. Regardless of the severity of Davison and Hill's injuries, Smith is a budding star and should see more carries as the season comes to a close.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Grade: A
The Oregon pass catchers finally did something that they hadn't done this month: help out their backup quarterback by catching some passes that they probably shouldn't have caught. True freshman wide receiver Jalen Lott caught a would-be interception, stepping right in front of a defender and saving Raiola. Tight end Jamari Johnson finished the game off by catching Raiola's dangerous jump pass. And Dakorien Moore made Raiola right multiple times in finishing with seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Evan Stewart also had a good day in his return, catching seven passes for 71 yards.
Offensive Line
Grade: A
Finally, the running game saw some open holes for the first time this month. The offense saw much more success through the air because of its ability to pound the rock on the ground, especially in the second half. That's when Smith got going, and while he was slippery in shaking tacklers, it was more so four-to-five yards down the field rather than in the backfield, as had been the case against UCLA and Nebraska. Additionally, the offensive line didn't give up a single sack, looking like "The Law Firm" of old.
Defensive Line
Grade: C+
The defensive line had a nice finish to the game, sacking Chiles three times and not allowing him to get loose, but there was just so much damage done in the first 30 minutes that I can't give them a "B" or even a "B-." Chiles broke to the edge more than a few times, totaling a season-high in rushing yards — and they were primarily on scrambles in which he broke contain and got the edge. Nasir Wyatt had a couple impressive plays in a rotational role, but Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti got beat on the edge too many times early on, putting Oregon in a hole.
Linebackers
Grade: B-
At least when it was Northwestern running back Caleb Komolafe running the ball, the Ducks linebackers flowed well to the football and kept Komolafe from breaking off large gains. He carried the ball 16 times for a modest 67 yards, while Jerry Mixon tied for the team-lead with seven tackles. Both Devon Jackson and Dylan Williams had their moments as well, flowing upfield and sticking the Wildcats' top rusher. The linebacking core, along with the rest of the defense, had trouble in taking down Chiles, resulting in the minus.
Secondary
Grade: C
It's baffling how Oregon's defense lost Northwestern's leading receiver Griffin Wilde, leaving him so wide open in the first quarter on his 64-yard touchdown. It was a creative formation with a triple stack in the backfield from Chip Kelly, but the Ducks should've been able to communicate and figure out who they were guarding. They didn't leaving Wilde wide open right up the middle of the field for the Wildcats' first touchdown. That wasn't the only time the secondary couldn't key in on Wilde, as he caught five passes for 146 yards and a score. One thing of note, however, was safety Koi Perich flying upfield in run support. That was impressive, but doesn't clean the stain of leaving Wilde so open time-after-time.
Special Teams
Grade: B+
Gage Hurych followed up a 1-for-4 outing on field goals by knocking in both of his attempts in Week 9, while punter Bailey Ettridge averaged 43.7 yards on his three punts and downed one inside the 20-yard line. Solid stuff from the specialists. But it was the return game of Hill that impressed, as he averaged 33 yards on his three returns including a long 54-yarder that set up the Ducks' offense in Northwestern territory. We haven't seen much kick return success in 2026, but that'd be a welcome skill to add to this group for the rest of the year.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Week 9 Report Card: Ducks get back on track vs. Northwestern
