Oregon Ducks Football - Dillon Gabriel - FishDuck.com in Eugene, OR

Oregon Ducks Football: 2024 Identity Found?

Alex Heining Editorials

Every season, our Oregon Ducks football program has an identity. Whether it’s on the ground, through the air, or on defense, every team has one aspect of its game that goes above & beyond to really solidify them as a program, and not finding what that identity is virtually ends your season. In week three, Oregon found its identity—not a what, but a who. I think it’s been clear since game one: Dillon Gabriel IS Oregon football in 2024.

Just like Bo Nix did last year, Gabriel has been a near-perfect constant across the board. Accuracy, efficiency, dependability, and a true bright spot regardless of how the rest of the team was doing. He went 15/15 passing to start against OSU, and never took his foot off the pedal on his way to the huddle or to the endzone. It’s so rare that you can successfully forge a team’s identity in an offseason, and transplant one player to be its face.

You often probably don’t want to. In my opinion, I don’t think this hurts Oregon at all. I believe Gabriel can and should be the face of this team, and what this offense runs through. I pulled Mr. FishDuck from his fun at Ice casino online for his thoughts, and he agreed between all the choices available as a team identity, Gabriel is one the nation already knows well.

Oregon Ducks Football - FishDuck.com in Eugene, OR - Dillon Gabriel

Did this run not SCREAM Mariota? – Via Steven Chan

Now, you could say a ton of different players brought their A-game Saturday. Jordan James was making big runs all over the place, Tez Johnson played outstanding, Bryce Boettcher was locking it down on defense, a number of players deserve recognition for how they bounced back this week. Maybe the ENTIRE offensive line should get a shoutout.

While I do appreciate all they did and how GREAT this team looked cohesively, Gabriel is the guy. I saw it this weekend, and I’ll believe it all year — he’s the one who can take us all the way with Lanning’s Ducks. Keep working week by week, and let’s see where we are in January.

What do you think? Is Gabriel this team’s identity? Who really showed-out in week three against Oregon State? What were you most impressed by this team in their rivalry week entering the bye? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.

Go Ducks!

Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Eric Becker

 

For the Exciting 2024 Football Season….

We will be publishing between four and six articles per week during the football season, as we skip Saturdays with all the distraction of GameDay for us. Check through the week, and in particular check for Analysis articles on most Fridays.

The Our Beloved Ducks Forum (OBD) is where we we discuss the article above and many more topics, as it is so much easier in a message board format over there.  At the free OBD forum we will be posting Oregon Sports article links, the daily Press Releases from the Athletic Department and the news coming out every day.

Our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) do not tell anyone what to think, feel or write, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy!

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