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Oregon football made a massive statement in its first season in the Big Ten on Saturday night, as the No. 3-ranked Ducks knocked off No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 in an instant classic at Autzen Stadium. Oregon took the lead late in the game on a 19-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington, and the defense came up with a big stop as time expired to seal the deal.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel had a stellar night, one of his best as a member of the Ducks, completing 23 of his 34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns and adding another on the ground. After the game, head coach Dan Lanning had high praise for his veteran quarterback, according to Jake Trotter of ESPN.
“Every time I went and looked at his eyes tonight, I saw a guy who was composed and ready for his next moment,” Lanning said, per Trotter. “He played really, really well tonight and had some really big moments.”
Gabriel made the big plays when it mattered on Saturday night, which is why they brought him in this offseason after the departure of Bo Nix. He connected with Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson for a pair of long touchdowns, and tacked on a 27-yard score with his legs in the second half.
Oregon, Ohio State establish themselves as title favorites in high-quality battle
From the moment the first ball was snapped in Oregon-Ohio State on Saturday night, one thing was clear. These two teams were very, very good. The Ducks and Buckeyes went back-and-forth throughout their titanic battle on Saturday, with players at every level consistently making plays on both sides of the ball.
Oregon's defensive line held their own, even without star defensive end Jordan Burch, and Matayo Uiagalelei made play after play for the Ducks up front. Ohio State's skill player talent was on full display as well, with wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith and running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson coming up with explosive play after explosive play.
On the other side of the ball, Oregon ran the ball effectively with the physical style of Jordan James, and Gabriel was on point finding his star wideouts and tight end Terrance Ferguson over the middle of the field. The Ohio State defense made things difficult on them, and star safety Caleb Downs was everywhere with eight tackles and two pass breakups.
In the end, it was Oregon who had a few more plays in them, as it executed at a high level in the second half and moved the ball consistently. It was a little but more of an uphill battle for Ohio State on the offensive side down the stretch, and that eventually wound up being the difference in a game that could have gone either way. Based on what both teams showed on Saturday night, it wouldn't be surprising to see them squaring off against each other at least one more time this season.
