Ducks Return Home to Host Maryland

The Matchup
#1 Oregon vs. Maryland
Saturday, November 9, 2024
4:00 p.m. PT | Big Ten Network
Autzen Stadium | Eugene, Ore.

#1 Oregon Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten)
AP/Coaches Rank: 1/1
Head Coach: Dan Lanning (William Jewell College, 2008)
Record at Oregon: 31-5 (3rd Season)
Career Record: Same

Maryland Terrapins (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten)
AP/Coaches Rank: NR/NR
Head Coach: Michael Locksley (Towson, 1992)
Record at Maryland: 32-32 (6th Season)
Career Record: 35-63 (10th Season)

TV: Big Ten Network
Play-By-Play: Jeff Levering
Analyst: Jake Butt
Sideline: Brooke Fletcher

Radio - Oregon Sports Network
Local: KUJZ-FM 95.3 (Eugene) | KFXX-AM 1080 (Portland)
Sirius: 133 | XM: 197
Play-by-Play: Jerry Allen
Analyst: Mike Jorgensen
Sideline: Dusty Harrah
Pre-Game Show: Joey McMurry

First-Ever Meeting With Maryland
The No. 1 ranked Ducks will bring a perfect 9-0 record back to Autzen Stadium this week as they get set to host Maryland in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Oregon is one of five remaining undefeated teams in the country, and is 9-0 to open the season for just the third time in program history (2012, 2010).

Home Sweet Home
Oregon is one of 12 FBS teams to be 5-0 or better at home so far this season, and the Ducks own the nation's best win with their 32-31 victory at home over now-No. 3 Ohio State on Oct. 12. UO has won 13 straight home games dating back to 2022, and 36 of its last 37 dating back to 2018. Autzen Stadium has been rocking all season with five sellout crowds and three of the top 12 crowds in stadium history, including an Autzen record 60,129 for the Ducks' win over the Buckeyes.

A Win Would...
» Make Oregon 10-0 for the third time in program history, joining the 2012 and 2010 teams.
» Improve UO to 9-1 all-time when ranked No. 1 in the nation.
» Make the Ducks 6-0 at home for the seventh time since 2010.

Ducks Dominate At The Big House
No Oregon football game has ever been viewed by a bigger crowd than the one that packed The Big House last Saturday in Ann Arbor. Oregon remained unbeaten with a 38-17 victory over Michigan before a crowd of 110,576, overcoming some early adversity to defeat the defending national champions. After a fumble set up a game-tying touchdown for the Wolverines in the first quarter, Oregon dominated the second quarter to lead 28-10 at halftime, and led comfortably the rest of the way. The Ducks outgained the Wolverines 470-270 overall, and converted 10-of-15 third downs while holding Michigan to just 4-of-12. Dillon Gabriel completed 22-of-34 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a 23-yard score, and Traeshon Holden stepped up with six catches for a career-high 149 yards. Jordan James rushed for 117 yards and a TD, and Noah Whittington scored a career-high two rushing touchdowns.

Ducks At the Top
Oregon took over the No. 1 spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls for the first time since 2012 going into its Oct. 26 game vs. Illinois, and the Ducks have solidified that ranking with back-to-back dominant victories over the then-No. 20 Illini and Michigan, the reigning national champion. Oregon's top ranking going into Week 11 is the 12th all-time in the coaches poll and 11th all-time in the AP poll, and the Ducks are receiving all 62 first-place votes in the AP poll. Oregon is now 8-1 all-time as the No. 1 ranked team. Prior to this season, Oregon's last No. 1 ranking in both polls was on Nov. 11, 2012, and all of the Ducks' previous No. 1 rankings came during the 2010 season. Oregon is the heavy favorite to be No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season when they are released on Tuesday.

Building the Resume
The No. 1 Ducks are one of just five remaining undefeated FBS teams entering Week 11, and one of just two in the Big Ten along with No. 9 Indiana. Oregon, Indiana and No. 4 Miami are the only teams at 9-0 overall. The Ducks are one of only two teams in the nation (Georgia) with multiple wins over teams currently in the AP top 25, with victories over No. 3 Ohio State and No. 12 Boise State. The Ducks also had a dominant win over Illinois on Oct. 26, when the Illini were ranked No. 20 nationally.

All Three Phases
Oregon has proven to be a well-rounded team while getting out to a 9-0 start. The Ducks are 11th nationally in both total offense (467.4 YPG) and total defense (294.2 YPG), making them one of four teams (Indiana, Ohio State, Tennessee) in the top 15 for both categories. Oregon is also in the top 25 for both scoring offense (23rd, 35.3 PPG) and scoring defense (10th, 15.8 PPG), and in the top 30 for both third-down offense (2nd, 52.29%) and third-down defense (27th, 33.04%). UO has also been effective on special teams, as the Ducks are one of just six teams in the nation (BYU, Central Michigan, James Madison, Tulsa, UNLV) with both a punt return and a kick return for a touchdown this season. Oregon's overall team grade of 92.5 from Pro Football Focus ranks 10th-best in the nation.

Record Crowds
Autzen Stadium has been rocking all season, hosting sellout crowds in all five home games including three of the 12 largest crowds in stadium history. Oregon's epic win over No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12 came in front of an Autzen Stadium record 60,129 fans, the third game ever of 60,000-plus and first since 2011. The Ducks beat No. 20 Illinois with a crowd of 59,830, the 10th-largest in Autzen history, and the crowd of 59,802 for Oregon's first Big Ten home game vs. Michigan State (Oct. 4) is tied for No. 12. The Ducks also played in front of a record crowd on the road last week in Ann Arbor. The 110,576 fans that packed Michigan Stadium for Oregon's 38-17 win over the defending national champions was the largest crowd the UO football team has ever played in front of, surpassing the 109,733 fans from Oregon's last trip to The Big House in 2007.

Completion Machine
Dillon Gabriel has been one of the nation's top quarterbacks while leading Oregon to a 9-0 start. He leads the country with a terrific 74.8 completion percentage while also ranking No. 7 nationally in passer rating (171.52), tied for No. 8 in completions (214), No. 9 in passing yards per game (296.1) and tied for No. 13 in passing touchdowns (19). Gabriel got his Oregon career started by going a staggering 41-of-49 for 380 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener vs. Idaho, and he has posted four of the top 11 completion-percentage performances in UO single-game history through his first nine games as a Duck.

Dual Threat
Gabriel has proven to be a threat with more than just his arm throughout his career, as his touchdown run last week at Michigan gave him six rushing TDs on the season and 32 in his career. Combined with his 144 career passing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown, Gabriel is second all-time with 177 career total touchdowns responsible for, just one away from tying and two away from breaking Case Keenum's NCAA all-time record of 178. Gabriel also sits at No. 2 all-time in total yards with 18,718, putting him 1,405 total yards away from Keenum's all-time record of 20,122. Gabriel is currently tied for ninth among FBS quarterbacks this season with six rushing touchdowns, and his 25 total touchdowns are tied for fifth nationally.

JJ Leading the Way
Jordan James has established himself as Oregon's workhorse in the backfield this season while emerging as one of the top backs in the nation. James has led the Ducks in carries and rushing yards in all nine games, and he ranks third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally with 101.89 rushing yards per game. The junior ran for 100-plus yards in three straight games against UCLA (103), Michigan State (166) and Ohio State (115), and he has five 100-yard performances on the season including a 102-yard game in Week 2 vs. Boise State and a 117-yard performance last week at Michigan. James has rushed for at least 80 yards in eight of nine games this season, and he has had at least 10 carries in all nine contests with four games of 20-plus attempts.

» One of 21 running backs in the nation and one of three in the Big Ten averaging at least 100.0 rushing yards per game.
» Career-high 166 rushing yards vs. Michigan State were the most by a Duck since Nov. 6, 2021 (Travis Day, 211 at Washington).
» Career-long 41-yard rush in Week 6 against the Spartans.
» 29 carries of at least 10 yards, tied for third-most in the Big Ten and tied for 12th nationally.
» Long rush of 22 yards last week at Michigan, his third carry this season of 20-plus yards.
» No. 4 in the Big Ten and tied for 20th nationally with 17.67 carries per game.

Explosive Ducks
Oregon's offense has once again been one of the most dynamic in the nation this season, scoring 30-plus points in eight straight games after last week's 38-17 win at Michigan. The Ducks were the only team in the nation to score 30-plus points in every game in 2023, and they're 23rd nationally this season with 35.3 points per game while ranking 11th in total offense with 467.4 yards per game. Oregon is also 11th nationally in passing offense (299.3 YPG) behind star quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and first in the country with a 74.6 team completion percentage. The Ducks' passing game has been among the most explosive in the nation, as they're tied for second in the FBS with six passing plays of 50-plus yards while also sitting in the top 10 for passes of 40-plus yards (T-8th, 10) and 30-plus yards (9th, 19). Oregon's best offensive performance so far came in Week 3 at Oregon State, when the Ducks put up season highs for points (49), total yards (546) and rushing yards (240) while scoring on all eight possessions (excluding end-of-half kneeldowns).

» One of just three FBS schools (Indiana, Miami) to score 30-plus points at least eight times this season.
» Oregon has now scored 30-plus points in 22 of its last 23 games dating back to 2023.
» The Ducks have scored at least 40 points 16 times under head coach Dan Lanning (since 2022).

Clutch in Key Spots
Oregon has been terrific on third down this season, ranking second nationally with a 52.29 conversion rate that trails only Miami (58.77). The Ducks went 10-of-15 on third down last week at Michigan, improving to 21-of-35 (60.0%) over their last three games and 46-of-81 (56.8%) over their last seven. Oregon's success on third down has been aided by production on first and second down, as only four of the Ducks' 15 third-down attempts last week came from more than five yards from the line to gain. The Ducks are tied for 10th nationally in third-down conversions (57) while sitting just 84th in third-down attempts (109).

Big Play Trae
WR Traeshon Holden is another dynamic option for the Ducks at receiver, and he had his best game as a Duck last week at Michigan with a career high-tying six receptions for a career-high 149 yards. Holden put his speed on display vs. the Wolverines, getting loose for receptions of 38, 47 and 44 yards. He leads the Big Ten and is tied for 12th nationally with seven receptions of 30-plus yards, including a 59-yard touchdown against Boise State in Week 2. That was the first of three straight games with a touchdown for Holden, who is third on the team with 28 receptions for 462 yards and three scores in eight games played.

Consistent Intensity
Defense has been the driving force for the Ducks throughout the 2024 season, as Oregon has allowed the 11th-fewest yards per game nationally (292.8) and sports the 10th-best scoring defense (15.5 PPG) as well as the 17th-ranked passing defense (172.8 YPG). UO started the season by holding nonconference opponents to 287.8 yards per game, the 16th-lowest total among FBS teams and fourth-lowest in the Big Ten. That momentum has carried over into conference play, where the Ducks are allowing just 17.8 points per game against Big Ten opponents, the 13th-best mark in the nation, and rank sixth in total defense in conference games (292.2 YPG). Since the Ducks took down then-No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12, Oregon has held opponents to an FBS-best 8.7 points per game and just 288.0 yards per contest, the 10th-lowest mark in the country. On the road against Michigan last week, UO held the defending national champions to just 270 total yards and limited the Wolverines to just 4 of 12 on third down and a stop on their lone fourth down try.

Behind Enemy Lines
The Ducks have gotten to opposing quarterbacks for 25 total sacks this season, tied for the 15th-most in the nation, after tying for 25th nationally with 34 in 2023. The UO front combined for seven sacks in nonconference play before tallying four sacks and a season-high seven TFLs in a dominating performance on the road at UCLA to open the Big Ten schedule. Oregon then recorded a season-high five sacks against Michigan State in the first Big Ten game in Autzen Stadium, including one from former Spartan Derrick Harmon. The Ducks put together back-to-back three-plus sack performances against Purdue and Illinois while totaling 17 TFLs in those two contests. UO has multiple sacks in six of nine games after doing so eight times a season ago, most notably in a seven-sack performance against Colorado, the program's most in a game since 2017.

» 10 TFLs against Purdue were a season high and the Ducks' most since tallying 11 against Stanford on Sept. 30, 2023.
» The Ducks have recorded three or more sacks five times this season (Michigan State - 5, UCLA - 4, Idaho - 4, Illinois - 4, Purdue - 3).
» 18 sacks against conference opponents is the second-highest mark in the Big Ten and tied for eighth nationally.
» Oregon has tallied 14 TFLs and five sacks against teams ranked in the AP poll; 55 total TFLs on the season rank fourth in the Big Ten.
» The Ducks have tallied four or more TFLs in seven of nine games, including five of six Big Ten contests; tallied at least seven TFLs in three consecutive games.