Oregon needs late field goal to keep Playoff hopes alive at Iowa

The Oregon Ducks expected a tough atmosphere at Iowa and got just that.

Atticus Sappington booted a 39-yard field goal with three seconds left, giving Dan Lanning’s sixth-ranked Ducks a walk-off 18-16 win. It also kept Playoff hopes alive with two games remaining. 

Dante Moore and the Ducks offense set up Sappington’s third field goal of the game after finding Malik Benson for a key 24-yard completion that put the Ducks in range.

“That moment was made for me,” Sappington said. “I truly believe that.”

Sappington previously connected from 46 and 44 yards in the slugfest. Oregon leaned heavily on its ground attack, rushing for 261 yards against an Iowa defense that ranked 10th nationally. Noah Whittington led the Ducks with 118 yards and Dierre Hill Jr. added the only touchdown in the second quarter.

Iowa took its first lead with 1:51 remaining when quarterback Mark Gronowski capped a 93-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. The Hawkeyes’ two-point try failed, setting up Oregon’s game-winning drive.

Moore threw for 112 yards and an interception on a difficult day for both offenses. The Ducks outgained Iowa 373-278.

“Sometimes that’s football,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “When you play a team like Oregon, you’ve got to be right there." 

Oregon hosts Minnesota for a Friday night affair at Autzen. Iowa hits the road for a meeting with USC.

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