Saturday, December 7
Indianapolis, Ind.
5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET
University of Oregon
13-0 , 9-0
45
vs
37
Penn State
11-2 , 8-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Penn St.
10
14
0
13
37
Oregon
14
17
7
7
45
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
13-0 and Big Ten Champions
12/07/24 | Football
The Oregon football team earned a first-round playoff bye Saturday with a win over Penn State for the conference title.
INDIANAPOLIS — Tumult has been the story around college football in recent years. Between player movement and conference realignment, NIL and the transfer portal, the defining feature of the national landscape has been change.
No program has navigated the rough waters as well as Oregon. Elsewhere, change resulted in setbacks of one kind or another. The Ducks, meanwhile, just keep on winning.
Three days after signing a top-five recruiting class and a week after completing the second perfect regular season in school history, the UO football team on Saturday was crowned champions of the Big Ten Conference, in the Ducks' first season as members. Though tense moments abounded, Oregon never trailed in a 45-37 victory over Penn State before 67,469 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Ducks improved to 13-0 for the first time ever, tying the program record for wins in a single season. They'll look to break that record on New Year's Day, when they'll take the field for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl as the No. 1 seed in the field, having earned a first-round bye as conference champions.
"I'm really proud of our players," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "They accomplished this. … The Big Ten is tough — I think tonight's game is a great example of that. It's a tough league. It's hard to go out there and win, and to be able to do what our guys did tonight, I'm really proud."
Dillon Gabriel was 22-of-32 passing for 283 yards, throwing four touchdowns for the first time in an Oregon uniform, and Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a score. Kenyon Sadiq scored the first two touchdowns of the game, and Jordan James also scored twice, including the fourth-quarter score that gave Oregon a two-touchdown lead midway through the final period.
Tysheem Johnson led the UO defense with nine tackles, and Bryce Boettcher had seven tackles with one tackle for loss. Dontae Manning's first-half interception set up James' first rushing touchdown of the day, and Nikko Reed picked off a pass in the fourth quarter to all but ice the game for Oregon.
"Words can't explain it," Tez Johnson said. "It's something you dream about, and when it happens, being able to get that checked off your bucket list, you don't take it for granted."
Penn State scored early in the fourth quarter to close within 38-30, and on the ensuing drive Oregon faced fourth down just past midfield. Just as they did in November at Wisconsin, Gabriel and Terrance Ferguson connected to move the chains for a clutch fourth down conversion, and two plays later James scored to make it 45-30.
Penn State methodically drove to a score, making it 45-37, and the Ducks went three-and-out. The Nittany Lions thus had a chance to drive to a game-tying score, but on second-and-one coming out of the 2-minute timeout, they took a deep shot and Reed made a spectacular over-the-shoulder interception to end the threat.
"I gave up a touchdown the drive before that," Reed said. "Everybody was like, 'We need a stop, we need a turnover.' When I was looking up I was surprised, but I was ready for that. Big-time players make big-time plays, and that's what happened."
The first half featured two different surges of momentum, one for each team. Oregon drove to a touchdown on its opening drive, with Sadiq hurdling a defender on his way to the end zone. The UO defense then held Penn State to a field goal, and the Ducks drove to another touchdown reception by Sadiq.
"As you step back and look at moments we've had this season, big-time players have made big-time plays in these moments," Gabriel said. "I love that part about it."
Penn State scored a touchdown late in the first quarter, but Manning's interception followed by James' first rushing touchdown made it 28-10 early in the second. At that point, an improbably one-sided championship game was developing. The Nittany Lions grabbed momentum from there, though, and closed to within 31-24 at halftime.
"The belief in our team throughout the game, it never wavered," Lanning said. "We have a bunch of guys in there that love each other and worked their tails off tonight to come out on the (right) side of victory."
Penn State opened the second half with the ball and drove down to the high red area. But Oregon's defense forced a field-goal attempt, the kick was off target and five plays later Johnson had the signature moment of his prolific night, a 48-yard touchdown for a 38-24 lead.
Those were the only points of the third quarter. The Nittany Lions scored again early in the fourth and opted to go for two, missing the conversion to stay in a 38-30 hole. Oregon answered with the drive that included Ferguson's conversion on fourth down, and James scored again to make it 45-30.
"You dream of these moments and want to be in them," Gabriel said. "I just want to take full advantage of it, especially when you get to work with these guys and see how much time and effort everyone puts into this thing."
More tense moments remained. But when Reed secured his interception, it was only a matter of time before Oregon was climbing the stage to receive the Big Ten Championship trophy, confetti raining down from above.
With the new expanded playoff format, there's plenty more to play for this season. But the Ducks are champions, Saturday and forever.
No program has navigated the rough waters as well as Oregon. Elsewhere, change resulted in setbacks of one kind or another. The Ducks, meanwhile, just keep on winning.
Three days after signing a top-five recruiting class and a week after completing the second perfect regular season in school history, the UO football team on Saturday was crowned champions of the Big Ten Conference, in the Ducks' first season as members. Though tense moments abounded, Oregon never trailed in a 45-37 victory over Penn State before 67,469 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Ducks improved to 13-0 for the first time ever, tying the program record for wins in a single season. They'll look to break that record on New Year's Day, when they'll take the field for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl as the No. 1 seed in the field, having earned a first-round bye as conference champions.
"I'm really proud of our players," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "They accomplished this. … The Big Ten is tough — I think tonight's game is a great example of that. It's a tough league. It's hard to go out there and win, and to be able to do what our guys did tonight, I'm really proud."
Dillon Gabriel was 22-of-32 passing for 283 yards, throwing four touchdowns for the first time in an Oregon uniform, and Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a score. Kenyon Sadiq scored the first two touchdowns of the game, and Jordan James also scored twice, including the fourth-quarter score that gave Oregon a two-touchdown lead midway through the final period.
Tysheem Johnson led the UO defense with nine tackles, and Bryce Boettcher had seven tackles with one tackle for loss. Dontae Manning's first-half interception set up James' first rushing touchdown of the day, and Nikko Reed picked off a pass in the fourth quarter to all but ice the game for Oregon.
"Words can't explain it," Tez Johnson said. "It's something you dream about, and when it happens, being able to get that checked off your bucket list, you don't take it for granted."
Penn State scored early in the fourth quarter to close within 38-30, and on the ensuing drive Oregon faced fourth down just past midfield. Just as they did in November at Wisconsin, Gabriel and Terrance Ferguson connected to move the chains for a clutch fourth down conversion, and two plays later James scored to make it 45-30.
Penn State methodically drove to a score, making it 45-37, and the Ducks went three-and-out. The Nittany Lions thus had a chance to drive to a game-tying score, but on second-and-one coming out of the 2-minute timeout, they took a deep shot and Reed made a spectacular over-the-shoulder interception to end the threat.
"I gave up a touchdown the drive before that," Reed said. "Everybody was like, 'We need a stop, we need a turnover.' When I was looking up I was surprised, but I was ready for that. Big-time players make big-time plays, and that's what happened."
The first half featured two different surges of momentum, one for each team. Oregon drove to a touchdown on its opening drive, with Sadiq hurdling a defender on his way to the end zone. The UO defense then held Penn State to a field goal, and the Ducks drove to another touchdown reception by Sadiq.
"As you step back and look at moments we've had this season, big-time players have made big-time plays in these moments," Gabriel said. "I love that part about it."
Penn State scored a touchdown late in the first quarter, but Manning's interception followed by James' first rushing touchdown made it 28-10 early in the second. At that point, an improbably one-sided championship game was developing. The Nittany Lions grabbed momentum from there, though, and closed to within 31-24 at halftime.
"The belief in our team throughout the game, it never wavered," Lanning said. "We have a bunch of guys in there that love each other and worked their tails off tonight to come out on the (right) side of victory."
Penn State opened the second half with the ball and drove down to the high red area. But Oregon's defense forced a field-goal attempt, the kick was off target and five plays later Johnson had the signature moment of his prolific night, a 48-yard touchdown for a 38-24 lead.
Those were the only points of the third quarter. The Nittany Lions scored again early in the fourth and opted to go for two, missing the conversion to stay in a 38-30 hole. Oregon answered with the drive that included Ferguson's conversion on fourth down, and James scored again to make it 45-30.
"You dream of these moments and want to be in them," Gabriel said. "I just want to take full advantage of it, especially when you get to work with these guys and see how much time and effort everyone puts into this thing."
More tense moments remained. But when Reed secured his interception, it was only a matter of time before Oregon was climbing the stage to receive the Big Ten Championship trophy, confetti raining down from above.
With the new expanded playoff format, there's plenty more to play for this season. But the Ducks are champions, Saturday and forever.
Team Stats
PSU
ORE
Total Yards
518
466
Pass Yards
226
283
Rushing Yards
292
183
Penalty Yards
65
24
1st Downs
28
24
3rd Downs
7
6
4th Downs
2
2
TOP
27:24
32:36
1st Quarter
PSU 0, ORE 7
ORE - Sadiq,Kenyon 28 yd pass from Gabriel,Dillon (Sappington,Atticus kick) 9 plays, 84 yards, TOP 04:16
PSU 3, ORE 7
PSU - Barker,Ryan 33 yd field goal 8 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:10
PSU 3, ORE 14
ORE - Sadiq,Kenyon 2 yd pass from Gabriel,Dillon (Sappington,Atticus kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:09
PSU 10, ORE 14
PSU - Singleton,Nicholas 22 yd pass from Allar,Drew (Barker,Ryan kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:57
2nd Quarter
PSU 10, ORE 21
ORE - Ferguson,Terrance 4 yd pass from Gabriel,Dillon (Boyle,Andrew kick) 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 03:20
PSU 10, ORE 28
ORE - James,Jordan 1 yd run (Sappington,Atticus kick), 1 plays, 1 yards, TOP 00:03
PSU 17, ORE 28
PSU - Evans,Omari 22 yd pass from Allar,Drew (Barker,Ryan kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:16
PSU 24, ORE 28
PSU - Allar,Drew 7 yd run (Barker,Ryan kick), 10 plays, 64 yards, TOP 04:03
PSU 24, ORE 31
ORE - Sappington,Atticus 32 yd field goal 10 plays, 61 yards, TOP 01:46
3rd Quarter
PSU 24, ORE 38
ORE - Johnson,Tez 48 yd pass from Gabriel,Dillon (Sappington,Atticus kick) 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 01:51
4th Quarter
PSU 30, ORE 38
PSU - Allen,Kaytron 1 yd run (), 6 plays, 97 yards, TOP 02:23
PSU 30, ORE 45
ORE - James,Jordan 3 yd run (Boyle,Andrew kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:49
PSU 37, ORE 45
PSU - Wallace III,Harrison 14 yd pass from Allar,Drew (Barker,Ryan kick) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:47
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
22
TD
4
YDS
283
INT
0
Players Mentioned
ILB
/ Football
TE
/ FootballQB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
TE
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