Iowa Holds Key Advantage Over Oregon

In order to pull off the upset, the Iowa Hawkeyes knows they'll have to beat the Oregon Ducks in all three phases. Thankfully for the Hawkeyes, they have one of the most prolific running offenses in the nation. Their defense is top notch, but the main advantage they hold over the Ducks is in special teams.

Kirk Herbstreit recently praised this Iowa team for winning in all areas of the game, not just with "punting and their defense". Now, more than ever, Iowa has a chance to take down Oregon, and they'll look to do so infront of a sold-out Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa's Special Teams Stats Are Far Superior Than Oregon's

Probably fair to say this is the biggest game and opportunity for LeVar Woods as special teams coach at Iowa.

Kick Ret: Iowa 8th, Ore 38th
Opp. Kick Ret: Iowa 6th, Ore 91st
Punt Ret: Iowa 1st, Ore 74th
Opp. Punt Ret: Iowa 119th, Ore 1st
Punt Avg: Iowa 104th, Ore 90th#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/jPmhonn1mS
— Cody Hills (@ByCodyHills) November 6, 2025

If Iowa plays how they want to against Oregon, it's going to be a low-scoring, special teams filled contest. The only times Iowa has put up big numbers this year were during lopsided upsets, something no one expects them to do against the Ducks.

The first main advantage Iowa holds is with return specialist Kaden Wetjen. The senior wide receiver has 129 receiving yards this season, but he leads the nation in all-purpose yards. With 391 punt return yards and 262 kick return yards, Wetjen has proven to be one of college football's most dangerous return men.

His numbers have propelled Iowa to eighth in the nation for kick return yards, and their first for punt returns. In total, Wetjen has more kickoff return yards than Oregon's entire team has punt and kickoff returns. For what it's worth, the Ducks have only tried to return four kickoffs this season.

Thanks to Wetjen, Iowa is averaging 19.6 yards per punt return this season. Oregon's average is peanuts compared to that, 9.2 yards. When it comes to actual punting, that's something Oregon has only done 17 times this season. They have 717 net punt yards while Iowa has punted 25 times for 1,078 yards.

Special Teams Could Decide The Game

Kaden Wetjen punt returns are a work of art 🎨 pic.twitter.com/OAdFxnE9Nr
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 25, 2025

At the end of the day, all it takes is one punt return for Wetjen to take it to the house. He did so against Minnesota in a game that Iowa dominated the entire way. Should Iowa find themselves down late, or need an early spark, they'll be able to get one from Wetjen.

Iowa has plenty of other areas where they match up evenly with Oregon, but special teams could be the deciding factor. If it comes down to a last second field goal, the Ducks have made just 66.66% of their kicks while Iowa has made 80% of theirs.

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