Championship Opportunity Awaits in Indy

2024 Big Ten Championship Game
#1 Oregon vs. #3 Penn State
Saturday, December 7, 2024
5:00 p.m. PT | CBS
Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.

#1 Oregon Ducks (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten)
CFP/AP/Coaches Rank: 1/1/1
Head Coach: Dan Lanning (William Jewell College, 2008)
Record at Oregon: 34-5 (3rd Season)
Career Record: Same

#3 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten)
CFP/AP/Coaches Rank: 3/3/3
Head Coach: James Franklin (East Stroudsburg, 1995)
Record at Penn State: 99-40 (11th Season)
Career Record: 123-55 (14th Season)

TV: CBS
Play-By-Play: Brad Nessler
Analyst: Gary Danielson
Sideline: Jenny Dell

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

Championship Opportunity
After going undefeated in the regular season and 9-0 in conference play, No. 1 Oregon will have a chance to capture the Big Ten title in its first year in the league as the Ducks head to Indianapolis to face No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. This will be Oregon's seventh all-time appearance in a conference championship game, and fifth since 2019. Saturday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the Ducks and Nittany Lions, and first since the 1995 Rose Bowl.

12-0
The Ducks completed an undefeated, 12-0 regular season for the second time in program history with last week's dominant win over Washington, joining the 2010 team as the only Oregon squads to accomplish that feat. Oregon is the only FBS team to go undefeated in the regular season, and one of just four to go unbeaten in conference play. The Ducks went 9-0 in conference play for the second time in program history, joining that 2010 team that went on to play for the national championship. Oregon has now won 13 straight games dating back to last season, carrying the nation's longest active winning streak into the postseason. It is the second year in a row and seventh time in program history that Oregon has reached 12 wins in a season.

A Win Would...
» Capture the Big Ten Championship in Oregon's first year in the conference.
» Secure a first-round bye for the Ducks in the College Football Playoff.
» Make Oregon 13-0 for the first time in program history.
» Match the Oregon single-season record for wins with 13, tying the 2014 team.
» Be UO's 14th straight win dating back to last season, the longest active winning streak in the nation.

Ducks Dominate Huskies, Complete Perfect Regular Season
The Ducks completed a perfect 12-0 regular season for just the second time ever last Saturday, matching the 2010 team's feat with a dominant 49-21 win over Washington before 59,603 fans in Autzen Stadium. The win snapped a three-game losing streak against the Huskies, and was head coach Dan Lanning's first win over the Ducks' Northwest rival. Oregon avenged its only two losses from the 2023 season behind an incredibly balanced offensive effort and a defense that tied the school single-game record with 10 sacks. Dillon Gabriel was 16-of-23 passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had one of the Ducks' five rushing touchdowns as he burnished his credentials as a possible Heisman Trophy finalist. Another of the team's seniors playing potentially for the last time in Autzen Stadium, Bryce Boettcher, had 11 tackles to lead the UO defense, including one of Oregon's 10 sacks — tying the school record set against Stanford in 2004. Jordan Burch returned from injury to lead the UO defense with 2.5 sacks, and Matayo Uiagalelei had two. Receiver Tez Johnson also returned from injury Saturday, catching a touchdown pass in the third quarter. Oregon took a 28-14 lead into halftime Saturday, behind two rushing touchdowns from Jordan James and one each from Noah Whittington and Gabriel. Johnson and Terrance Ferguson each caught a TD pass from Gabriel in the second half, and Da'Jaun Riggs capped the scoring for Oregon with a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Elite Resume
Oregon has all but wrapped up its spot in the newly-expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, and will try to earn a first-round bye with a win over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Ducks are the nation's lone undefeated team and have been ranked No. 1 since mid-October. Oregon owns three wins over teams that appeared in the top 25 of the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings, with victories over No. 6 Ohio State, No. 10 Boise State and No. 21 Illinois. The Ducks have a chance to earn a fourth win over a CFP top 25 team, and third over a team projected to be included in the 12-team field, when they square off with No. 3 Penn State on Saturday in Indianapolis.

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 five consecutive wins to remain undefeated on the season. UO's top ranking going into conference championship weekend is the 16th all-time in the coaches poll and 15th all-time in the AP poll, and the Ducks remain the unanimous No. 1 team in both polls. Oregon has also been No. 1 in every release of the College Football Playoff rankings so far this season, earning the top spot in the CFP rankings for the first time in program history. The Ducks are now 11-1 all-time as the nation's No. 1 ranked team, with all other instances of being No. 1 coming in the 2012 and 2010 seasons.

All Three Phases
Oregon has been one of the nation's most well-rounded teams while going undefeated in the regular season. The Ducks are seventh in the FBS in total defense (283.8 YPG) and 15th in total offense (448.5 YPG), making them one of just three teams (Tennessee, Texas) in the top 25 for both categories, and they are the only FBS team in the top 15 of both passing defense (8th, 171.5 YPG) and passing offense (14th, 277.6 YPG). Oregon is also one of nine teams in the top 20 for both scoring defense (9th, 16.2 PPG) and scoring offense (T-19th, 35.2 PPG), and one of just four (Indiana, Tennessee, Tulane) in the top 15 for both third-down defense (15th, 31.85%) and third-down offense (7th, 49.66%). UO has also been effective on special teams, ranking fifth nationally in kickoff return average (27.91) and ranking as the only Big Ten team with both a punt return and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Oregon's overall team grade of 93.0 by Pro Football Focus ranks No. 6 in the nation.

Gabriel the Touchdown King
In his sixth and final season of college football, Dillon Gabriel has made history in 2024 by becoming the NCAA all-time leader in total touchdowns. Gabriel threw three touchdown passes against Maryland on Nov. 9 to break the FBS record of 178 total touchdowns held by Case Keenum (2007-11, Houston), and he enters the Big Ten Championship Game with 183 career total touchdowns (149 passing, 33 rushing, one receiving). Gabriel also ranks second all-time in total yards with 19,375 in his career as he closes in on Keenum's all-time record of 20,114. On the season, Gabriel is No. 14 nationally in total offense (287.5 YPG) and tied for 12th in total touchdowns (31).

More History on the Horizon
With the total touchdowns record secured, Gabriel now has his sights set on the FBS all-time record for touchdown passes. Gabriel enters the Big Ten Championship Game with 149 career passing touchdowns, just six back of Keenum's all-time record of 155. Gabriel also ranks second all-time in career passing yards with 18,140, sitting 1,077 behind Keenum (19,217). Gabriel is also up to No. 7 all-time in career completions with 1,325, moving past former Oregon QB Bo Nix (1,286).

Seasoned Southpaw
The Ducks faced a daunting offseason task of replacing Nix, who is starting for the Denver Broncos as a rookie in 2024 after a stellar two-year career at Oregon that culminated with a trip to New York as a 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist. Head coach Dan Lanning brought in the most experienced signal caller available in Gabriel, who last week tied Nix for the FBS record for starts by a quarterback with the 61st of his career. Gabriel will break that record this weekend in Indianapolis with his 62nd career start. He has played in 62 career games, starting every one he has played in since the second game of his freshman season at UCF in 2019.

QB1
Dillon Gabriel has been one of the nation's top quarterbacks while leading No. 1 Oregon to an undefeated regular season. The 2024 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the year, Gabriel is No. 2 in the country with a terrific 73.5 completion percentage while also sitting in the top 20 for passer rating (8th, 165.06), total yards per game (14th, 287.5), passing yards per game (13th, 272.9), total touchdowns (T-12th, 31) and passing touchdowns (T-18th, 24). Gabriel has thrown multiple touchdown passes in 10 of 12 games, including a trio of three-TD games against UCLA, Illinois and Maryland. The NCAA all-time leader in total touchdowns has also continued to show his ability as a dual-threat quarterback, adding seven rushing touchdowns so far as a Duck. Gabriel had a season-high four total touchdowns on Oct. 26 vs. Illinois, throwing for three scores and adding another on the ground, and he had three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) last week in the regular-season finale against Washington.

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 surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career while leading Oregon to a 16-13 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 16, notching the 29th 1,000-yard rushing season in program history. James ran for 121 yards and the Ducks' lone touchdown of the night, going over 100 yards for the sixth time this season and seventh in his career. The junior ran for 100-plus yards in three straight games against UCLA (103), Michigan State (166) and Ohio State (115), and he also went over the century mark vs. Boise State (102) and Michigan (117). James came up just short of 100 yards in last week's win over Washington, finishing with 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 15 carries.

» Selected to the all-Big Ten second team by both the league's coaches and the media.
» Third in the Big Ten and No. 22 nationally with 97.17 rushing yards per game.
» Currently No. 18 in UO single-season history with 1,166 rushing yards.

Top Target
Tez Johnson has been one of the nation's top receivers while helping the No. 1 Ducks to an undefeated regular season. Despite missing nearly three full games due to injury, Johnson is in the top 30 nationally and is fifth in the Big Ten with 67 receptions, only 19 away from the UO single-season receptions record of 86 he set in 2023. Johnson also leads the Ducks in both receiving yards (685) and receiving touchdowns (9), and he has caught double-digit passes three times with a trio of 100-yard performances. Johnson has caught at least six passes in all but three games he's played, and he had at least one touchdown reception in five consecutive contests to open Big Ten play. Johnson got his senior season off to a hot start in the opener vs. Idaho, matching his career high with 12 receptions for 81 yards and two TDs. Johnson returned from injury last week against Washington, catching three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Explosive Ducks
Oregon's offense has been one of the nation's most dynamic once again this season. The Ducks scored 30-plus points in nine straight games from Week 2 to Week 11, and they are one of only four teams in the nation (Miami, Georgia, Indiana) to score 30-plus points at least 10 times this season. Oregon is currently tied for 19th nationally in scoring offense at 35.2 points per game, and the Ducks are 15th in total offense at 448.5 total yards per game. UO is also 14th nationally in passing offense (277.6 YPG) behind star QB Dillon Gabriel, and the Ducks lead the country with a 73.6 team completion percentage. Oregon matched its season high for points in last week's 49-21 win over Washington while 458 total yards, including 222 rushing with a season-high five touchdowns on the ground. The Ducks' passing game has been explosive throughout the season, with six passes of 50-plus yards, 10 of 40-plus yards and 21 of 30-plus yards.

History For T-Ferg
TE Terrance Ferguson made history in last week's win over Washington, finishing with four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown while becoming Oregon's all-time leader in receptions by a tight end with 126. Ferguson passed Ed Dickson (124, 2006-09) for the all-time record, and his touchdown reception was also the 15th of his career to move into a tie with Josh Wilcox (1993-96) for the most in program history by a tight end. A fourth-year senior, Ferguson also moved past Wilcox into second all-time with 1,436 career receiving yards, just 121 back of Dickson for that program record among tight ends. Ferguson opened his senior season with a career-high seven catches for a team-high 87 yards vs. Idaho, and he has 35 receptions for 490 yards and two touchdowns through 10 games played. Ferguson returned to action on Nov. 2 after missing two games due to illness, and he hauled in six catches on 12 targets for 35 yards and his first touchdown of the season on Nov. 9 vs. Maryland.

Everything Earned
A dual-sport athlete who joined the football team as a walk-on in 2022, ILB Bryce Boettcher has become one of the best stories in all of college athletics while emerging as a leader and key contributor on the Oregon defense in his final season. Boettcher is one of three finalists for the 2024 Burlsworth Trophy, presented to the nation's most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on, and he was also named an all-Big Ten second-team selection. After playing sparingly on special teams in 2022 and then moving from safety to inside linebacker in 2023, Boettcher is Oregon's leading tackler this season with a career-high 80 tackles while adding 7.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and four pass breakups. The Eugene native has led Oregon in tackling six times in 12 games, including in the regular-season finale when he matched his career high with 11 total tackles while adding a career-high 2.0 TFLs, a sack and a forced fumble. Boettcher's team-high 90.7 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus ranks fourth among all FBS linebackers and tied for eighth among all FBS defenders.

Game Wrecker
Just a true sophomore, OLB Matayo Uiagalelei has emerged as one of the top pass rushers in the nation for the Ducks in 2024. Uiagalelei led the Big Ten during the regular season with a career-high 10.5 sacks, after matching his career high with 2.0 in the regular-season finale last week vs. Washington. Uiagalelei is the first Duck to reach double-digit sacks in a season since DeForest Buckner had 10.5 in 2015. He also leads the Ducks and is tied for fifth in the Big Ten with a career-high 12.5 tackles for loss, most by a Duck since Kayvon Thibodeaux had 14.0 in 2019. Uiagalalei has matched his career high with 2.0 TFLs four times this season, including last week vs. the Huskies. He was the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Oregon's win at Wisconsin on Nov. 16 after finishing with five tackles, a sack and an interception late in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory and helped the No. 1 Ducks improve to 11-0.

» Voted to the all-Big Ten first team by the media, and the second team by the league's coaches.
» 10.5 sacks are tied for 10th-most in UO single-season history; Record is 13.0 (Nick Reed, 2008; Ernest Jones, 1993).
» Tied for seventh nationally in sacks and tied for 39th in tackles for loss.
» Has recorded a TFL in nine of 12 games this season, including eight of the last nine.

Consistent Intensity
Defense has been the driving force for the Ducks throughout the 2024 season, as Oregon has allowed the seventh-fewest yards per game nationally (283.8) and sports the ninth-best scoring defense (16.2 PPG) as well as the eighth-ranked passing defense (171.5 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 Big Ten play, where the Ducks are allowing just 14.7 points per game against conference opponents, the fourth-best mark nationally, and rank sixth in total defense in conference games (278.9 YPG). Since the Ducks took down No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12, Oregon has held opponents to just 13.0 points per game, the third-lowest mark in the nation during that span. Last week against Washington, the Ducks allowed just 43 rushing yards and limited the Huskies to just 4-of-12 on third down, racking up 10 sacks and 16 TFLs in the defense's most dominant game this season.

Behind Enemy Lines
The Ducks have been a nuisance for opposing quarterbacks all season long, making a habit of living in the backfield. The UO front has tallied at least one sack in every game this season and multiple sacks in eight contests, highlighted by 10.0 last week against Washington which tied the UO single-game program record and matched the highest total by an FBS team during the 2024 season. Prior to last Saturday, the Ducks has not recorded double-digit sacks in a game since getting to the Stanford quarterback 10 times on Oct. 23, 2004. The Ducks' also tallied 16.0 TFLs against the Huskies, the most in a single game since at least the 2003 season. Heading into postseason play, the Ducks lead the Big Ten and are tied for sixth nationally with 39.0 sacks, just 6.0 shy of the program record set by the 2011 squad.