The unfortunate news came on Wednesday morning that the Oregon Ducks are not expecting running back Noah Whittington to return this season after suffering an apparent knee injury in the Week 4 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.
In a second-half run, Whitting went down and appeared to have his left leg rolled up on by a defender. The extent of the injury has not been made clear, but I’ve been told it is a knee injury, not an ankle injury, as was previously suspected.
[lawrence-related id=49391]
Regardless of the location of the injury, it is clear the Ducks will have to go forward in the season without one of their top three running backs, a member of the trio that has been among the best in the conference thus far in 2023.
While it is a major loss, there are some important notes to make about the injury, and what it means for both Whittington and the Ducks going forward. Here are some of my biggest notes on the matter: