Tag: Oregon Ducks
Big Ten championship game capsule: Oregon vs. Penn State
Big Ten championship game
Oregon (12-0) vs. Penn State (11-1)
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET
Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: CBS
Early line: Oregon -3.5 (FanDuel)
What’s at stake:
Oregon is a sure-fire pick no matter what happens in this game but the Ducks want the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye. Having your first game being in the quarterfinals is much more preferred than risk being upset in the first round.
Penn State also is part of the 12-team field no matter what transpires in Indy. But stun the Ducks and get a bye and home-field advantage? That would be a huge development for the Nittany Lions.
How they got here:
The Ducks needed a last-second field goal to beat Boise State on Sept. 7 and then won their next three games by at least 21 points. They defeated Ohio State 32-31 in a major showdown on Oct. 12 and then beat four straight Big Ten opponents — including Illinois and Michigan — by an average of 26.5 points. Saturday’s 49-21 whipping of Washington furthered displayed that Oregon is by far the best team in the land.
Penn State won its first seven games before once again falling to Ohio State, dropping coach James Franklin to 1-10 versus the Buckeyes during his tenure. The Nittany Lions bounced back impressively with wins of 29 and 39 points against Washington and Purdue, respectively. Penn State closed with a 44-7 rout of Maryland and landed the championship game spot due to Michigan’s win over Ohio State.
Names to know:
–Oregon
QB Dillon Gabriel
The transfer is always efficient, and he completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,275 yards, 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
RB Jordan James
Put together a strong season of 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, contributing 95 or more yards on eight occasions.
S Tysheem Johnson
Leads the team in interceptions with three, ranks second in tackles with 55 and always seems to know where to be in the back end.
–Penn State
QB Drew Allar
Allar completed 71.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,668 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions during the regular season.
TE Tyler Warren
He has 81 receptions for 978 yards and six scores, topped by that memorable career-best outing of 17 catches for 224 yards against Southern California on Oct. 12.
DE Abdul Carter
Put together a dominant season that counts 19.5 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks, while terrorizing opposing offensive linemen.
Xs and Os:
The Ducks departed the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, where wins weren’t supposed to come so easily. But Oregon thrived in its new environment and has been the top team in the nation all season. No matter what happens in the conference title game, the Ducks are the team to beat in the 12-team playoff field.
One narrative Franklin despises is that his program beats all the teams it should and falls short in the big games. Well, here you go coach, a perfect chance to temporarily silence that chatter, especially since a win over the Ducks gives the Nittany Lions a first-round bye.
Prediction:
Oregon 41, Penn State 30
–Field Level Media
No. 1 Oregon conquers Washington to stay unbeaten
Top-ranked Oregon, already locked into the Big Ten championship game next weekend against Penn State, finished off a perfect regular season with Saturday’s 49-21 rout of rival Washington in Eugene, Ore.
The Ducks’ defense shut out the Huskies for almost the entire second half, giving up a late touchdown with 1:43 to play. They also matched a single-game record for sacks with 10.
Oregon’s offense overcame an early fumble and a couple of hiccups in execution to dominate.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 209 yards with two touchdowns, and the Oregon ground game gained 236 yards. Jordan James had 99 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns, and Gabriel, Noah Whittington and Da’Jaun Riggs also scored rushing touchdowns for Oregon (12-0, 9-0 in Big Ten).
Terrance Ferguson and Tez Johnson caught touchdown passes from Gabriel. Johnson, Oregon’s most dynamic receiver, returned to action after missing two full games with a shoulder injury.
Ducks coach Dan Lanning finally got his first win over the Huskies after three losses, including a pair of three-point defeats last season. The Ducks ended a three-game losing streak to their archrivals to the north.
Washington (6-6, 4-5) went with Demond Williams Jr. at quarterback over the more experienced Will Rogers, who was benched in the Huskies’ previous game. Williams spent much of the night running from Oregon defenders but ended up 17 for 20 for 201 yards and a touchdown pass.
Defensive lineman Jordan Burch, who also returned from injury, led the Ducks with 2 1/2 sacks, and linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei had two.
The Huskies entered the game with 1,008-yard rusher Jonah Coleman averaging 5.8 yards per carry, but Coleman was held to 3 rushing yards on 11 attempts. As a team, Washington ran for only 43 yards and gained 244 yards in total offense.
–Field Level Media
Oregon WR Tez Johnson (shoulder) declares he’s back
Wide receiver Tez Johnson appears ready to return for No. 1 Oregon after missing two games with a shoulder injury.
“He’sssssssssssss backkkkkkkkkkk!! Johnson posted on Instagram early Tuesday along with a photo of himself dancing at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) have not yet provided any official updates regarding Johnson’s recovery.
Oregon is on a bye this week and concludes the regular season at home against Washington on Nov. 30.
Johnson, a 5-foot-10 senior, leads the Ducks in receptions (64), receiving yards (649) and touchdowns (eight).
–Field Level Media
No. 1 Oregon looks to hang on to top spot at Wisconsin
Record-setting quarterback Dillon Gabriel and undefeated Oregon will be out to solidify the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings when the Ducks visit inconsistent Wisconsin in a Big Ten matchup at Madison, Wis., on Saturday.
Oregon (10-0, 7-0), No. 1 in the CFP rankings released Tuesday, routed Maryland 39-18 last weekend behind three scoring passes by Gabriel, who broke the NCAA record for total career touchdowns.
Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) is coming off a bye after a 42-10 loss at Iowa, one of the worst defeats in Luke Fickell’s two years as coach.
“We’re still having a lot of fun, coming up every single day to get better and find ways to improve,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Monday. “The challenge of this new conference, the travel and some of the teams that we got to play, it’s been a lot of fun for us.”
Gabriel, a sixth-year transfer from Oklahoma, completed 23 of 34 passes for 183 yards against the Terrapins. That gave him 180 total touchdowns (147 passing, 33 rushing), surpassing the 178 touchdowns (155 passing, 23 rushing) that Case Keenum produced for Houston from 2007-11.
Gabriel leads the nation in pass completion percentage at 74.1 percent (237 of 320) for 284.8 yards per game, with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Gabriel and the Ducks’ passing game present obvious difficulties for the Badgers’ secondary.
“They’re going to be challenged in different ways,” Fickell said Monday. “That’s the beauty of college football. You can be challenged each and every week in a lot of different ways and this one may be one we haven’t seen really the entire year.
“The ability for them to throw the ball downfield. The dynamic of the wide receivers that they have. Obviously, the quarterback and the ability of him to make plays both with his feet and in the air.”
James Jordan paces the Ducks’ ground game with 946 yards (5.7 per carry) and 10 touchdowns.
Oregon has been efficient in the red zone with 39 scores in 44 opportunities, including 32 touchdowns.
The Ducks, who have scored 30 or more points in each of their past nine games, average 35.7 points while allowing 16. Oregon averages 457 yards per contest and is giving up 293.7.
Wisconsin took consecutive early-season losses to Alabama and Southern California, then dominated Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern during a three-game winning streak. However, the Badgers have since lost to Penn State, now No. 4 in the CFP rankings, and Iowa.
In their five victories, the Badgers outscored opponents 34.4 to 8.6 per game, with a 454-239 average advantage in total yards. In four losses, Wisconsin was outscored 37.5 to 13.5.
Redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, who took over at quarterback when Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending knee injury against Alabama, threw two costly interceptions against Iowa. Locke has completed 56.8 percent of his passes for 177.3 yards per game, but he has eight picks along with eight touchdown tosses.
Against Iowa, the Badgers allowed 329 rushing yards, 6.1 yards per carry.
In the teams’ most matchup, Oregon edged Wisconsin 28-27 in the 2020 Rose Bowl when the Ducks were still in the Pac-12. The Badgers have not defeated a No. 1-ranked team since a 31-18 upset of Ohio State in 2010.
–Field Level Media
Dillon Gabriel sets career TD mark as No. 1 Oregon routs Maryland
Dillon Gabriel set an NCAA record with his 179th career touchdown and No. 1 Oregon shook off a slow start to defeat Maryland 39-18 on Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
Gabriel was 23 for 34 for 183 yards passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions for the Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten), who led 14-10 before scoring 25 of the game’s final 33 points.
His record-setting touchdown came on a 3-yard toss to left tackle Gernorris Wilson that put Oregon up 29-10 midway through the third quarter.
Gabriel surpassed former Houston quarterback Case Keenum, who accounted for 155 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing scores for the Cougars from 2007-11.
Billy Edwards Jr. completed 22 for 44 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Terrapins (4-5, 1-5), who have lost two straight games.
Jordan James ran up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown to give Oregon the lead for good, 7-3, with 2:21 to play in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 26-yard pass from Gabriel to James one play after the Ducks converted a fourth-and-1.
Oregon made it 14-3 early in the second quarter with a defensive touchdown. Defensive lineman Jordan Burch stripped the ball from Edwards and Brandon Johnson returned the fumble 62 yards.
Maryland made it 14-10 on Roman Hemby’s 1-yard touchdown run, which capped off a nine-play drive with 3:17 left in the first half.
That left enough time for Gabriel to engineer a 12-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a 9-yard scoring pass to tight end Terrance Ferguson 20 seconds before halftime.
Oregon used a fake punt to extend its lead in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-3 at its own 22-yard line, Burch took the direct snap on a fake punt and rumbled 36 yards.
Five plays later, Gabriel tossed his record-setting touchdown and Josh Conerly Jr. ran in the two-point conversion to make it 29-10.
The Terrapins took advantage of several Ducks defensive penalties to sustain drives. They pulled within 29-18 on Octavian Smith’s 3-yard touchdown reception and Edwards’ run on a two-point conversion with 11:27 left in the fourth quarter, but got no closer.
Atticus Sappington hit a 20-yard field goal with 5:47 left before Gabriel found Evan Stewart for a 17-yard score with 3:45 to go.
–Field Level Media
No. 1 Oregon to make first-ever encounter with Maryland
The College Football Playoff rankings have Oregon in the No. 1 position for the first time in history. Its previous high was No. 2 in 2014, when the Ducks were one of four teams in the inaugural CFP.
But the Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) still have a ways to go to get to the playoffs, and their final regular-season stretch starts Saturday with their first-ever meeting with Maryland in the conference matchup in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon has wins over two teams in the CFP rankings, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 12 Boise State. The Ducks also defeated Illinois, which was ranked in the Top 25 at the time, and thumped Michigan 38-17 in Ann Arbor last weekend
The Ducks lost two starters to injury against Michigan, including top wide receiver Tez Johnson, whose arm was in a sling. But indications are that Johnson will be back at some point this season, as will starting offensive lineman Marcus Harper II, who was helped off the field with a left knee injury.
The Ducks, who are looking to move to 10-0 for the third time in program annals, would seem to have the pieces in place and the depth to replace both players.
“I’m confident we have a plan,” Lanning told the Eugene Register-Guard. “There’s a lot of guys that can play winning football for us right now. Who that’ll be come Saturday, I’ll leave that for us to figure out in-house, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can play winning football for us, and there will be some guys that will step up like they have all season.”
The Ducks didn’t miss Johnson much after he left the Michigan game early on. Traeshon Holden finished with 149 receiving yards after being disciplined for spitting on an Ohio State player last month.
Oregon has been a complete team this season, with solid defense, a productive running game, the accurate passing of quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and big-play potential on special teams, though not having Johnson could impact that unit.
Maryland (4-4, 1-4) has lost three of its last four games, and is playing a game in the Pacific time zone for the first time since the 2014 Foster Farms Bowl in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Terrapins feature wide receiver Tai Felton, who leads the Big Ten with 73 receptions and 907 receiving yards. With 93 more yards, he can become just the fourth Maryland player ever with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
Maryland’s passing attack will look to challenge Oregon’s secondary. The Terrapins rank first in the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 314.5 per game. On the other side of the ball, the defense has allowed 42.3 points per game in their previous three losses, to Indiana, Northwestern and Minnesota.
“We have a good football team, still,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said. “I feel pretty confident that this team will show up and be heard.”
–Field Level Media
Week 10 College Football Picks
Dillon Gabriel, No. 1 Oregon brace for best shot from Michigan
No. 1 Oregon will look to continue its undefeated season on Saturday afternoon when it faces Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Ducks (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are one of eight remaining unbeaten teams in the nation. They also are 8-0 for the first time since 2013 and for the fifth time in program history.
A win Saturday at the Big House would make Oregon 9-0 to open the season for the first time since 2012 and for the third time in program history. The Ducks are 7-1 in games as the country’s top-ranked team.
Coming off a dominating performance on both offense and defense in last week’s 38-9 win over then-No. 20 Illinois, the Ducks have the nation’s most accurate quarterback in Dillon Gabriel with a 76.2 completion percentage. They also are 10th in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of 15.6 points per game.
Gabriel has thrown 143 touchdown passes and needs 13 more to break Case Keenum’s all-time NCAA record. Keenum played for the Houston Cougars from 2007-11.
Oregon, according to its sports information department, is the only school with three wins over teams currently in the Top 25 (No. 4 Ohio State, No. 15 Boise State, No. 24 Illinois). The Ducks have won the last two meetings with Michigan.
This week, the Ducks will make their second trek east as new members of the Big Ten, heading to Ann Arbor to face a Wolverines team that won the national title last season.
“We’re getting an opportunity to play the reigning national champions, right? And in this conference it’s hard every single week, so we know that we’ll get their best,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “So it’s exciting to you know, have a chance. We got to play some games that are fun for us so far this year and challenging, and this will certainly be a challenge.”
Michigan (5-3, 3-2) is coming off a 24-17 win over Michigan State at home last week. The game ended with a fight on the field between players from both teams, which the Big Ten is investigating.
Tight end Colston Loveland, who ranks in the top three all-time at Michigan in receptions (103), yards (1,295) and TDs (10) among tight ends, was among those involved in the scuffle.
“It’s unacceptable, not how we carry ourselves,” Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said Monday. “We’ll address that internally. That’s not how we represent the University of Michigan. … We’ll take care of that, and that will never happen again.”
The Wolverines have a rough stretch of games ahead, with Oregon at home and No. 13 Indiana and No. 4 Ohio State on the road as three of their final four games of the regular season.
Davis Warren is expected to remain Michigan’s starting quarterback, with Alex Orji getting some playing time. Jack Tuttle, who made a start at quarterback earlier this season, announced his retirement from football on Monday due to concussions.
Saturday will be the 21st time Michigan has faced the No. 1 team in the national rankings. The Wolverines are 3-16-1 in those games, with all three victories coming at Michigan Stadium, according to the school’s sports information department.
–Field Level Media
