Dan Lanning announces Oregon RB Noah Whittington will miss remainder of 2023 season

Oregon will be without running back Noah Whittington for the rest of the season, Dan Lanning confirmed Wednesday. He suffered an injury against Colorado and Lanning said he would be “down for a little bit” as a result.

Whittington is a key part of the Oregon offense this year, sitting third on the team with 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns in four games. As for whether he’ll be able to get back on the field after his injury, Lanning said it’s not likely.

“I don’t think that’s probably going to be the case, no,” he told reporters.

Oregon still has its leading rushers in Bucky Irving and Jordan James to help with the running game, but losing Whittington takes another playmaker out of the room. When it comes to depth, though, Lanning said others will have to step up to help the Ducks’ offense in Whittington’s absence.

“Strength in numbers, right?” Lanning said. “The same thing we’ve said all year. The more guys you have that can play winning football, the better that is for us.”

Dan Lanning: Replacing Noah Whittington will require a next man up mentality

In the immediate aftermath of Whittington’s injury, Lanning pointed out the impact the loss will have on the roster. Even beyond the in-game implications, he’s a key part of the team from a leadership perspective, which adds to the hurt.

“Well, first they hurt for Noah because they know this guy that steps on the field every single day and he works his tail off,” Lanning said. “He might not say a word. I mean, he’s a guy that we talk about guys that talk with their pads. That’s Noah and he’s tough. This guy’s from Peach County that, anybody that hasn’t been there wouldn’t know but if you’ve been there, you’d realize what that means. So those guys hurt for him.”

Lanning mentioned how it has to be a next man up mentality moving forward until Whittington is back.

“But they also know again next guy up how am I going to take advantage of this opportunity to make sure I don’t let our team down in his absence and we’re going to miss Naoh, you don’t just replace Noah with one player,” Lanning said. “And especially his demeanor and his work ethic. But we’ve got some great backs in that room that are ready to fill, fill those shoes out there.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.