Two of the best teams in the Big Ten were pushed to the brink this weekend. Indiana and Oregon both showed the country exactly what they were made of. As expected, Iowa gave Oregon one of its biggest challenges this season, and for some of this game, it looked like Iowa was going to pull off a huge upset.
With multiple playmakers for the Ducks hurt, it was a low-scoring game. The weather also played a huge factor in the 18-16 final score. Dan Lanning made many questionable play calls in this game as well. If you were hoping to see the Ducks win convincingly, you got the exact opposite. Many factors played into why the Ducks weren’t their usual high-powered selves.
It still did not matter. Just like Penn State, when his number was called, Dante Moore Jr. picked himself up. He was not perfect in this game, but he was lights out on the game winning drive. Dante Moore was given a two-minute drill, and he executed well with no hesitation. With Moore’s clutch performance, the Ducks’ playoff hopes remain intact.
Iowa looked like the better team in this game, and the Hawkeyes just might be the best three-loss team in the country. Both Indiana and Oregon have all the talent in the world, but it took late-game heroics for them to beat the Hawkeyes. Iowa should remain the #20 team in the country because there are not a lot of teams better than Iowa.
Oregon is clearly the more talented team, but in this matchup, that was not what won them the game. Being the more disciplined team helped them win. Iowa fumbling in the red zone with an opportunity to put six points on the board was the mistake that cost the Hawkeyes this game.
Both teams are future opponents for the Trojans, and either team could give the Trojans their toughest game of the season. Thankfully, USC gets to host Iowa next week, but with how good they have looked against the best teams in the country, there will be no room for a slow start or head-scratching mistakes. Iowa’s defense has no problem handling prolific offenses; it will simply come down to who is better down the stretch, something USC struggles with.
On the flip side, Oregon has a quarterback that has ice in his veins and Jayden Maiava, who displayed great winning football Friday, will have to match the level at which Dante Moore can play. The matchup versus Iowa will be a slugfest, and the matchup versus Oregon could be a high-scoring shootout. USC will need to bring their best for both teams because right now many would take Iowa and Oregon to beat the Trojans.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Oregon barely beats Iowa before USC football faces both teams
