New Era Begins Saturday in Autzen Stadium

The Matchup
#3 Oregon vs. Idaho
Saturday, August 31, 2024
4:30 p.m. PT | Big Ten Network
Autzen Stadium | Eugene, Ore.

#3 Oregon Ducks (0-0)
AP/Coaches Rank: 3/3
Head Coach: Dan Lanning (William Jewell College, 2008)
Record at Oregon: 22-5 (3rd Season)
Career Record: Same

Idaho Vandals (0-0)
FCS Coaches Rank: 7
Head Coach: Jason Eck (Wisconsin, 1999)
Record at Idaho: 16-9 (3rd Season)
Career Record: Same

TV: Big Ten Network
Play-By-Play: Guy Haberman
Analyst: Yogi Roth
Sideline: Rhett Lewis

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

B1G Time
It's a new era for Oregon football as the Ducks officially embark on their first season as members of the Big Ten Conference. Oregon enters 2024 at No. 3 in both the coaches and Associated Press polls, the program's highest preseason ranking since 2014. Coming off a 12-2 season in 2023 that culminated with a win in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, the Ducks are expected to be in the thick of the conversation for both the Big Ten Championship and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in the third year under head coach Dan Lanning.

Dominant Ducks
Oregon was one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation in 2023, finishing as one of just three schools (Georgia, Notre Dame) to rank in the top 10 for both scoring offense (2nd, 44.2 PPG) and scoring defense (9th, 16.5 PPG). The Ducks' drastically improved defense complimented an offense that was once again one of the most electric in the country.

Among all FBS teams in 2023, Oregon was...
» No. 1 in average scoring differential at +27.71.
» Tied for No. 4 with a plus-11 turnover margin.
» No. 1 in passing offense (346.9 YPG) and No. 2 in total offense (531.4 YPG).
» The only team to score 30-plus points in every game.
» No. 11 in rushing defense (102.57 YPG) and No. 22 in total defense (318.4 YPG).
» One of only six teams to allow 10-plus points no more than eight times.

A Win Would...
» Extend Oregon's nation-leading nonconference home winning streak to 33 games.
» Be the Ducks' 20th straight in home openers.
» Make UO 92-33-4 all-time in season openers.
» Give Oregon its 11th win in the last 13 season openers.
» Be UO's 24th straight against Idaho, and first since 2004.
» Improve the Ducks to 13-1 at home under Dan Lanning.
» Be Oregon's first as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Ducks Playing With a Heavy Heart
The Oregon football program once again experienced heartbreak over the summer when former defensive back Khyree Jackson passed away tragically in a car accident. Jackson was an all-Pac-12 selection for the Ducks in 2023 and was entering his first season with the Minnesota Vikings after being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The tragedy came two years after tight end Spencer Webb passed away in an accident. The team hiked Spencer's Butte in Eugene on the last day of summer workouts as a way to honor the lives of both Jackson and Webb, and they will wear a decal on their helmets this season that features two flying Ducks with the numbers 4 and 5 to commemorate them both.

New Era, B1G Expectations
The landscape of college football has changed drastically ahead of the 2024 season, from conference realignment to the expanded College Football Playoff to the new rules regarding name, image and likeness. Oregon joins the new-look Big Ten Conference along with UCLA, USC and Washington, and expectations are high for the Ducks entering the third season under head coach Dan Lanning. UO enters 2024 at No. 3 in the USA Today coaches poll and the Associated Press poll, the program's highest preseason ranking since 2014.

» Oregon is one of four Big Ten teams in the preseason AP top 10 and one of six in the top 25, along with No. 2 Ohio State, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Michigan, No. 23 USC and No. 25 Iowa.
» UO is in the top 10 of the preseason AP poll for the first time since 2020 (No. 9), and in the top five for the first time since 2015 (No. 5).
» First time since 2015 Oregon has been in the preseason top five of both the preseason AP and coaches polls.
» Oregon is scheduled to face both Ohio State (Oct. 12) and Michigan (Nov. 2) this season.

Dan the Man
The Ducks have been among the nation's top teams in two seasons under head coach Dan Lanning, going 10-3 in his debut season in 2022 before improving with a 12-2 record in 2023. Lanning is just the third UO head coach to reach at least 22 wins in his first two seasons, and his 22 wins over the last two seasons are tied for ninth-most among all FBS head coaches. Oregon's 12-2 season in 2023 marked the sixth 12-win campaign in program history and first since 2019, and the Ducks' win over Liberty in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl was the seventh New Year's Six bowl win in program history.

» Oregon won eight conference games in 2023 for the seventh time in program history and first since 2019.
» The Ducks reached a New Year's Six bowl for the 14th time in program history.
» Oregon has won bowl games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2018-19, winning the Holiday Bowl in 2022.

Balanced Dominance
The Ducks were one of the most balanced and efficient teams in the nation in 2023. Oregon led the nation in average scoring differential at +27.71, and were one of only three teams (Georgia, Notre Dame) to rank in the top 10 for both scoring offense (2nd, 44.2 PPG) and scoring defense (9th, 16.5 PPG). The Ducks were one of just four teams (Georgia, SMU, South Alabama) in the top 25 for both total offense (2nd, 531.4 YPG)) and total defense (22nd, 318.4 YPG), and one of 10 in the top 30 for both rushing offense (30th, 184.5 YPG) and rushing defense (11th, 102.57 YPG). Oregon also led the nation in passing offense (346.9 YPG) while leading a pass-heavy Pac-12 Conference in passing defense (215.9 YPG).

» Led the nation in average scoring differential in the first half of games at +17.00, and in the second quarter at +10.79.
» Eight of 12 wins were by 29 points or more, and six were by 36-plus points.
» Only team in the nation to score at least 30 points in every game.
» Led at halftime in all 12 wins, and led through the first quarter in nine of 12 wins.
» Tied for No. 4 nationally with a plus-11 turnover margin.
» 93.8 overall team grade by Pro Football Focus led the Pac-12 and ranked fifth in the nation.

Home Cookin'
Oregon was a perfect 7-0 in Autzen Stadium in 2023, the Ducks' fourth undefeated season at home since 2019 and 11th in program history. UO was one of 14 FBS programs to go undefeated at home in 2023, and one of eight to do so while playing seven home contests. The Ducks' win over Hawai'i on Sept. 16 also ensured they would take the nation's longest active nonconference home winning streak into the 2024 season, pushing their run to 32 straight games with a 55-10 victory.

UO has not lost a nonconference home game since Sept. 20, 2008, and have been dominant overall in Autzen Stadium in that span with an 87-11 (.888) record at home since the start of the 2009 season. UO is 40-3 (.930) at home since the start of the 2017 season, and 31-1 (.969) since an overtime loss to Stanford on Sept. 22, 2018.

Active Home Nonconference Winning Streaks (Last home nonconference loss)
1. Oregon - 32 (9/20/2008)
2. Utah - 30 (9/8/2007)
3. Penn State - 24 (9/21/2013)
4. Michigan - 22 (9/20/2014)
West Virginia - 22 (9/24/2011)

Numbers To Know
3 - Oregon is in the top three of both the preseason AP and coaches polls for the first time since 2014.
3 - Dillon Gabriel needs just three total touchdowns to take over the No. 2 spot in FBS history. He is currently tied for fourth with 152 in his career.
5 - The Ducks led the nation in fewest sacks allowed in both 2022 and 2023, allowing just five total sacks in each season.
10 - UO was one of just three teams in 2023 to rank in the top 10 for both scoring offense (2nd, 44.2 PPG) and scoring defense (9th, 16.5 PPG).
10 - Oregon was one of three teams to hold its opponent to 10-or-fewer points at least seven times in 2023.
26 - The Ducks allowed just 26 touchdowns from scrimmage in 2023, tied for the tenth fewest in the nation.
26.6 - Oregon led the nation with 26.6 first downs per game, and was also first with 372 total first downs.
30 - Oregon was the only team in the nation in 2023 to score at least 30 points in ever game.
32 - Oregon enters 2024 with the longest active nonconference home winning streak in the nation at 32 games.
46.34 - The Ducks ranked No. 8 nationally in 2023 with a 46.34 team punting average, behind Ross James' stellar 48.41 mark.
54 - Terrance Ferguson needs just 54 receiving yards to become the ninth Oregon tight end ever to reach 1,000 in a career.
71 - Tez Johnson's 71 receptions from Week 7 through the end of the 2023 season ranked second among all FBS receivers.
73 - Oregon tied for the FBS lead in 2023 with 73 total touchbacks, and ranked 21st with a 66.97 touchback percentage.
102.57 - Oregon's 102.57 rushing yards allowed per game in 2023 ranked 11th in the nation and were the fewest allowed by the Ducks since 1989.
135 - Dillon Gabriel needs 135 passing yards to become the eighth player in FBS history to reach 15,000 in a career.