The Oregon Ducks won the biggest game in Autzen History. No. 2 Ohio State. No. 3 Oregon. Not anymore.
The Ducks defeated the Buckeyes 32-31, in a game that came down to the final moment. With six seconds to go and on the fringe of field goal range, Ohio State elected to run another play instead of kicking a field goal. Quarterback Will Howard couldn’t complete the play in time, and the clock ran out.
But before all that, fans at home and fans in Autzen Stadium were treated to a truly spectacular performance by Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. It wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by his 68 completion percentage, but in the moments that matter, he rose up, to places we haven’t seen.
Oregon scored four touchdowns in the game, three of which Gabriel was responsible for. Two in the air, two on the ground. The two passing touchdowns were spectacular balls thrown first to Evan Stewart in the corner of the end zone, and second, a long bomb to the Ducks’ speed demon Tez Johnson.
Gabriel’s other touchdown? A 27-yard option play on which he made two Buckeyes miss and strolled into the end zone to put Oregon up 29-28 a minute into the fourth quarter, electrifying an already amped crowd.
Gabriel finished the game with 23/34 passes completed for 341 yards and two TDs. He rushed for 32 yards and the aforementioned — electrifying — touchdown. It isn’t even his best stat line this season, but it was certainly his best performance, and it’s earned him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.
In a win like this, or any win for that matter, it doesn’t come down to one player. Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, and Jordan James all had spectacular games. The front seven showed up in big moments, and the secondary won the game for the Ducks on the Buckeyes’ final drive. But this Saturday night, Dillon Gabriel shined the brightest among a team of stars.
