In the grand scheme of what’s important to No. 5 Oregon’s ability to win in its rematch with No. 1 Indiana at the Peach Bowl on Friday, the run game is close to the top of the list. The Ducks generated push on the ground last time out against the Hoosiers, but couldn’t back it up with a passing attack that scored points nor find one player with consistent success. 

It just got harder to repeat the feat. On Tuesday night, freshman back Jordon Davison was officially ruled out via the mandatory College Football Playoff availability report, with an injury that The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Aaron Fentress reported to be a broken clavicle.

Another availability report for No. 5 Oregon (no change): pic.twitter.com/4tfFqhR5eJ

— Owen Murray (@OwenMurraySEA) January 8, 2026

Also ruled out from the running backs room on Monday were Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar (who officially intend to enter the transfer portal) and Da’Jaun Riggs. Those four make up half of the Ducks’ top eight rushers this season. They’ve got a combined 193 rushing attempts, and Oregon won’t have them for the biggest game of its season.

How much does that matter?

“They’re going to know what we’re going to run,” lead back Noah Whittington said on Tuesday. “We’re going to know what they’re going to run. It’s about who’s going to out-physical the opponent and stop it.”

Davison has been crucial to a lot of what the Ducks do. When they hand him the ball, it’s because he’s a dynamic runner with the ability to power between the tackles and cut wide. He was the Ducks’ leading rusher against Indiana the first time around, when he averaged 7.4 yards per carry, and he’s racked up 667 yards and a team-leading 15 touchdowns on the ground. He’s also a strong blocker, and works out of the Ducks’ 21-personnel sets as a lead blocker for the second running back (that blocking was vital on some of the big outside runs that Dierre Hill Jr., one of the Ducks’ remaining backs, has burst this year).

Without him available, the power-back onus falls almost entirely on Noah Whittington. He’s more than capable of the job, but won’t have the time on the sideline that a back like Davison provides him. Hill will be an option too, as the change-of-pace, but many of the 21-personnel looks include him alongside Davison, not Whittington, and it’s not clear how those scheme elements change with Whittington in his place.

In Whittington’s mind, though, it’s about something other than scheme.

“I feel like football is universal,” he said. “We all run the same stuff. It’s about how you go out there and execute it. It’s about physical dominance, honestly, in the run game. You’ve got to line up against the person you’re going against and move them.”

There’s a recent blueprint for what Oregon’s offense looks like without a strong rushing attack.

Last week at the Orange Bowl, the Ducks netted just 64 rushing yards in their 23-0 victory over No. 4 Texas Tech. Davison was the leading rusher, with 42 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, but Oregon struggled to generate push against a stalwart Red Raiders defensive line that influenced their ability to lean on the ground game which won them games earlier in the season.

Instead, with the Ducks regularly in third-and-long, focus turned to Dante Moore’s connection with his tight ends. The first conversion of the game went over the middle to Jamari Johnson, and he and Kenyon Sadiq combined for 88 yards on eight receptions. Moore is expected to have both available, plus receivers Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. (but not Evan Stewart, who was also ruled out), for Friday’s game.

The attack will start on Friday with Whittington and Hill, though, and another chance to take advantage of a unique relationship. 

“I’m the vet. I feed off of just seeing my younger guys just have success, and they feed off me, too,” Whittington said. “They always say, ‘You’re going to get us started, you get us going. We feed off you.’ We feed off each other.

Oregon’s multi-back system gives them chances to spell each other. It gives them a change of pace. If the Ducks can establish the run, it makes linebackers hesitate and gives Dante Moore more time to seek out Sadiq, Johnson and his receiving corps.

“Sometimes, I’m in games where the run’s not hitting or I miss a hole,” Whittington said. “They’re like, ‘Hey bro, remember what you told me.’ They’ll tell me what I told them, and I’m like, ‘Damn. Y’all sound like me. You’re coaching me up.’ 

“It’s unique, man. It’s special, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to share this time with them, because I’m just happy I got the opportunity to share the backfield with them.” 

Kickoff between the Ducks and the Hoosiers is set for 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Jan. 9.