Oregon's potent ground game will most likely be a man down for the rest of the season.

Coach Dan Lanning didn't sound optimistic after practice Wednesday when asked about the return of injured junior running back Noah Whittington, who missed last weekend's 42-6 win against Stanford after appearing to suffer a lower leg injury against Colorado Sept. 23.

"I don't think that's probably going to be the case, no," he said when asked if Whittington would play again in 2023.

Lanning had more positive news about starting cornerback Khyree Jackson, who left the game against Stanford in the first half and didn't return.

"He was practicing today," Lanning said. "Had a good day."

The loss of Whittington would be a blow for the No. 8 Ducks (5-0), who don't have a game this week as they prepare for a top-10 showdown against No. 7 Washington (5-0) in Seattle on Oct. 14.

Whittington has been the primary backup to starter Bucky Irving since last season, rushing for 925 yards and seven touchdowns on 159 carries in 17 games since transferring from Western Kentucky prior to the 2022 season.

He has rushed for 146 yards and two scores on 20 carries this season, and also has 10 receptions for 78 yards.

His contributions have helped the Ducks become one of the best rushing teams in the FBS this season.

Oregon leads the nation in yards per carry (7.06), is fourth in rushing touchdowns (16) and sixth in rushing yards per game (227.2).

Even without Whittington against the Cardinal, the Ducks eclipsed 200 yards rushing for the fourth time in five games when they ran for 208, including eight rushes of 10-plus yards.

Sophomore Jordan James moved up a spot in the rotation and ran for a career-best 88 yards on six carries and scored his team-leading seventh rushing TD of the season.

James now has 297 yards rushing on 34 carries.

Irving remains the team leader with 393 yards and four TDs on 50 carries. He also has 18 receptions for 137 yards.

Oregon will lean on those two when they play the Huskies. Washington is ranked 47th nationally in both rushing yards allowed per game (121.6) and yards allowed per run (3.78). The Huskies have allowed just four rushing touchdowns.

The Ducks will also be asking more of freshmen running backs Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell, who have almost evenly split their combined 128 yards and 25 carries. Both have also rushed for one touchdown.

"I think he's showing his intelligence to be coming in as a freshman and really executing his assignments at a high level," Lanning said of Limar. "He catches the ball well out of the backfield and he runs hard in between the tackles. ... Dante is obviously a real physical runner. Big bodies are hard to bring down. He broke out a big run yesterday in practice, so excited to see his growth as well."

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks RB Noah Whittington likely out for 2023 season