NCAAF

Ohio State Buckeyes at Oregon Ducks

· NCAA - Football
5-1, 1-1 Away
Final
31 - 32
6-0, 4-0 Home

Dillon Gabriel rallies No. 3 Oregon past No. 2 Ohio State, 32-31

Gabriel threw two touchdown passes and ran for another late score, helping third-ranked Oregon outlast No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 on Saturday night.

Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon (6-0, 3-0) this season from Oklahoma for the Ducks' first season in the Big Ten, completed 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards. He also ran for 32 yards on four carries.

"Every time I went and looked at his eyes tonight I saw a guy who was composed and ready for his next moment,” Lanning said. “He played really really well tonight in some really big moments.”

Jordan James ran for 115 yards and a score for the Ducks in front of a record crowd of 61,128 for the first matchup between two teams ranked in the top five at Autzen Stadium. It was the highest-ranked opponent that Oregon has beaten during the regular season.

After the victory, the Oregon fans rushed the field and the Ducks' mascot crowd-surfed over their shoulders. Afterward coach Dan Lanning joked with reporters: “Anyone have a heart-rate monitor?”

Gabriel scored on 27-yard keeper early in the fourth quarter to give Oregon a 29-28 lead. But Ohio State (5-1, 2-1) responded with a clock-eating drive that ended with Jayden Fielding’s 40-yard field goal that made it 31-29 with six minutes to go.

A pass-interference call got the Ducks to Ohio State’s 9, but Oregon settled for Atticus Sappington’s 19-yard field goal and a 32-31 lead with 1:47 left.

Will Howard hit Emeka Egbuka with a 26-yard pass to pull the Buckeyes closer to field goal range, but an offensive pass-interference call on freshman Jeremiah Smith pushed Ohio State back. On third-and-20 on the Oregon 38, Howard took off running with four seconds left but gained only 12 yards and slid as time ran out.

“I just know how much time and effort everyone puts into this, and that goes for the coaches, the players, the support staff within this building to make the whole show go,” Gabriel said. “There's joy in winning, and you love to see your team succeed.”

Howard threw for 336 yards an two touchdowns for Ohio State . Smith had nine catches for 100 yards and a score in what was the first big test for the Buckeyes this season.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day is 1-7 against teams ranked in the top five. Because of the expanded College Football Playoff, the loss may not have the impact on the Buckeyes' postseason hopes as it might have had in previous seasons.

“We could sit here and look at one play here, one play there or complain about a call, but we’re not going to do that. We’re going to own it," Day said.

Howard scored on a 1-yard keeper on Ohio State's opening drive of the game. It was his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, most by a Buckeye in five seasons.

Oregon capitalized when Derrick Harmon forced Quinshon Judkins' fumble and recovered the ball on the Ohio State 28. James punched the ball in from 3 yards out but the Ducks flubbed the snap on the extra point attempt.

Judkins scored on a 1-yard run before Evan Stewart's 10-yard touchdown catch closed the gap for Oregon.

Oregon took advantage of another Ohio State turnover when Roger Saleapaga recovered Caleb Downs' fumble. But the Ducks were hurt on the drive when senior receiver Traeshon Holden was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct when he spit on an Ohio State player. The drive ended with Sappington's 27-yard field goal.

Ohio State went back in front on Emeka Egbuka's 15-yard TD reception before leading Ducks receiver Tez Johnson gave Oregon a 22-21 edge at halftime on a 48-yard touchdown catch from Gabriel.

Smith caught a 6-yard scoring pass to put Ohio State up 28-22 in the third quarter. The Buckeyes' leading receiver had a 38-yard reception on the drive.

“It was a back and forth," Lanning said. “When you play a really good team, you’re going to have to be able to battle in tight games like this, where decisions could go one way or another. We played aggressive tonight. We played to win the game and our guys went out there and executed in critical moments.”

TAKEAWAYS

Ohio State: Chip Kelly, the Buckeyes' new offensive coordinator, was head coach of the Ducks from 2009-12, leading the team to a spot in the 2011 national championship game. ... Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons left the game in the first half with what appeared to be a lower leg injury. Day said the injury was serious and suggested Simmons wouldn't be back this season.

Oregon: Defensive Jordan Burch, the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Week, did not play after an apparent injury during practice this week. Burch was tied for the Big Ten lead and ranks eighth nationally with a career-best five sacks this season. ... There were 61,128 fans at the game, a new Autzen Stadium record.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Hosts Nebraska on Oct. 26. Day said Ohio State has some work to do during the time off: “The issues are there.” Day said. "Those issues came up in this game. We’ve got to get those things fixed.”

Oregon: At Purdue on Friday night.

How To Watch

How can I watch Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks?
  • TV Channel: Buckeyes at Ducks 2021 College Football, week 7, is broadcasted on NBC.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Ducks: 36.0%
Buckeyes: 64.0%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

OSU TD 1st Period 10:00 Will Howard 1 Yd Run (Jayden Fielding Kick)
ORE TD 1st Period 5:51 Jordan James 3 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
OSU TD 2nd Period 14:22 Quinshon Judkins 1 Yd Run (Jayden Fielding Kick)
ORE TD 2nd Period 12:31 Evan Stewart 10 Yd pass from Dillon Gabriel (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed)
ORE FG 2nd Period 10:09 Atticus Sappington 27 Yd Field Goal
OSU TD 2nd Period 3:53 Emeka Egbuka 15 Yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding Kick)
ORE TD 2nd Period 1:17 Tez Johnson 48 Yd pass from Dillon Gabriel (Atticus Sappington Kick)
OSU TD 3rd Period 9:27 Jeremiah Smith 6 Yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding Kick)
ORE TD 4th Period 13:20 Dillon Gabriel 27 Yd Run (Andrew Boyle Kick)
OSU FG 4th Period 6:00 Jayden Fielding 40 Yd Field Goal
ORE FG 4th Period 1:47 Atticus Sappington 19 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/194.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originOSU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2483.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originORE
22 1st Downs 18
4-12 3rd down efficiency 6-14
2-2 4th down efficiency 1-2
467 Total Yards 496
326 Passing 341
28/35 Comp/Att 23/34
9.3 Yards per pass 10.0
141 Rushing 155
33 Rushing Attempts 31
4.3 Yards per rush 5.0
8-70 Penalties 3-25
2 Turnovers 0
2 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
33:04 Possession 26:56

Game Information

Autzen Stadium

Location: Eugene, OR
Attendance: 60,129 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

Ranking the best players in the college football transfer portal

Ranking the best players in the college football transfer portal

John Mateer, Darian Mensah, Eric Singleton Jr. and Fernando Mendoza are among the best players who have entered the transfer portal. Here are our rankings.

College football transfer portal: Ranking best available QBs

College football transfer portal: Ranking best available QBs

The college football transfer portal is open, and several top quarterbacks are looking for new schools and some have already found theirs. Here are the best available.

Source: Missouri lands former Penn State QB Beau Pribula

Source: Missouri lands former Penn State QB Beau Pribula

Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula is set to transfer to Missouri, a source confirmed to ESPN.

College football conferences with the best bowl game records

College football conferences with the best bowl game records

The SEC is a dominant college football powerhouse, especially when it comes to bowl games. See which other conferences also have bowl success.

Sources: Steve Belichick expected to join North Carolina as DC

Sources: Steve Belichick expected to join North Carolina as DC

Steve Belichick is expected to join father Bill Belichick's North Carolina staff as the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.