Bad Weather Looms Again for Oregon Ducks’ Third-Straight Game

The weather forecast for Oregon’s home game at Autzen Stadium vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers could be the Ducks' third-straight rainy matchup. The forecast in Eugene calls for an 80 percent chance for precipitation on Friday. How can the Ducks again handle the adversity?

Oregon ducks weather report autzen stadium rain dan lanning minnesota golden gophers big ten college football playoff dante moore | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The weather forecast for Oregon’s home game at Autzen Stadium against the Minnesota Golden Gophers is shaping up to be another challenge for the No. 9 Ducks. Eugene is expecting an 80 percent chance of rain on Friday at kickoff, per the National Weather Service, which could mark Oregon’s third-straight game played in wet conditions.

The Ducks have already proven they can adapt under adverse weather, leaning on a strong rushing attack and opportunistic defense in rain-soaked wins over Wisconsin and Iowa in back-to-back weeks.

Oregon Ducks Iowa Hawkeyes weather update Kinnick Stadium dan lanning rain snow dante moore Kirk Ferentz upset playoff big ten | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The defending Big Ten champion Ducks are pushing to better their College Football Playoff resume with only three regular season games remaining. Another gritty win certainly would help the Ducks pass the eye test as the CFP committee makes their rankings. Minnesota is unranked and Oregon is 31-0 against unranked opponents under Ducks coach Dan Lanning.

The Weather Forecast for Oregon vs. Minnesota In Eugene

Time to bring out that rain gear Ducks fans, it is looking like cold and wet conditions on Friday night.

Kickoff between Oregon and Iowa is set for 6 p.m. PT and the latest forecast suggests that weather could be a factor. Rain is likely (80%) at kickoff with a projected temperature between 45-50 degrees. The low temperature is 42 degrees.

The forecasts will be something to watch as it likely will continue to shift before kickoff.

Oregon Ducks Noah Whittington | oregon ducks on si darby winter

The Ducks are massive 25.5-point favorites over the Golden Gophers on FanDuel. The over/under is 44.5 points in what could be another old-school slugfest with two teams that could rely on the run game.

Adversity Piling Up For Oregon With Weather, Injuries and Schedule

The adverse weather adds to a list of adversity the Ducks are facing this week.

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First of all, Oregon is on a short week after grinding out a big-time 18-16 victory on the road against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a top-20 matchup. On the flip side, Minnesota is fresh off a bye week. The Golden Gophers last played on Nov. 1 in a 23-20 overtime victory over Michigan State.

Second of all, the Ducks have been hit by the injury bug. Last week, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, offensive lineman Alex Harkey and wide receiver Dakorien Moore were all on the injury report and did not play vs. Iowa. Then, to make matter worse, starting receiver Gary Bryant Jr. was injured in the first quarter and did not return.

“I'm not gonna hop into an update, but if they're ready, they'll play,” Lanning said on Monday.

Good news from Lanning was that despite not being able to suit up, Oregon's player stayed very much locked in.

“Obviously Dakorien (Moore) wasn't playing, but every time I turned around, he was asking, what's the play call? He's cheering on his teammates. He's encouraging him to hold on to the ball. I'm seeing the same thing from Alex Harkey throughout the game. So just seeing those guys involved, they're there, and they could be spectators, but they didn't make that choice. They made the choice to be out there and coaching the guys on the field, which is awesome,” Lanning said.

Oregon Ducks receiver Dakorien Moore against Montana State | Jake Bunn / Oregon Ducks on SI

With just three regular-season games remaining, Oregon controls its own College Football Playoff destiny. First up, rising above the adversity to beat Minnesota.

Lanning also addressed how weather and injuries impact his game plan.

“I think you always prepare with every scenario in mind. We do a game day meeting every week that we go through, okay, this guy’s down, who's next up? What's that take off the call sheet? What's that add? How many things can we work out of multiple personnel groups?”

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