Our Oregon Ducks football program showed out this weekend. In one of the best games in team history, this back-and-forth bout lived up to the billing. The Buckeyes were swinging for 60 minutes, but the Ducks swung just a little bit harder and won Dan Lanning’s biggest win in his short tenure at Oregon so far. As for the team’s shining stars, many, many names come to mind. But this week’s MVP was an unquestioned, unbelievable leader who stepped up to play the game of his life: Dillon Gabriel.
I pulled Mr. FishDuck from his fun at Mostbet Apk to discuss the amazing performance of the Oregon quarterback versus the Buckeyes, and he agrees – this was Gabriel’s signature performance with Oregon.
Some fans watching Saturday might have been stunned by a handful of traits and skills that pushed Gabriel’s Ducks to beat the Buckeyes in Autzen. His athleticism to hit the edge on runs and evade a collapsing pocket, impeccable accuracy on deep balls, and handling some AWFUL snaps with zero loss of composure—there’s a lot to love about how this guy handled the biggest test of the season. For me, I feel it really came down to one aspect of his game that stood out over everything else.
Gabriel stood in the pocket and kept composure all game long – Photo via Eric Becker.
Fearless, not Reckless
The entire game, I felt that Gabriel conducted this offense to score points by creating highly potent, efficient drives from start to finish. This success from the jump was NEVER going to work by being conservative and taking what the defense gave him—it was going to require taking chances, going for big jabs over one knockout punch, and threading passes through traffic to spots where only his receiver could catch them.
Evan Stewart was the biggest benefactor of this trait being displayed against Ohio State, and the Buckeyes paid for it. That back-shoulder pass on the edge of the endzone that Stewart corralled for a touchdown was where Gabriel’s game really took another step up. He fearlessly dished out dimes to Terrance Ferguson, Tez Johnson, and a thriving Oregon offense that looked as good as Bo Nix’s did last year (if not better).
He finished 23-34 passing with 341 yards, 3 total TDs, and most importantly: ZERO TURNOVERS. Gabriel was playing with purpose, poise, and confidence, inspiring the whole offense to get it done on the biggest stage. If he has any semblance of this performance continue throughout the year, the Heisman Trophy won’t be the only hardware he’ll be picking up in his lone season in Autzen.
Now, do the Ducks have a lot to work on? Absolutely. No team is perfect, and Oregon made some boneheaded plays that could have sent this game sideways. But make no mistake: Oregon’s got the goods. Their roster’s talent can overcome interceptions that weren’t called interceptions, ejections, and far too many missed points from special teams. Adversity has Oregon’s number, but Oregon never calls back under Lanning. Let’s see the Ducks build on MASSIVE momentum this week with Gabriel’s fearless leadership, and dominate on Friday against Purdue.
Is that what you saw against Ohio State? What did you think of Gabriel’s performance? Who was the MVP/rising star who showed up in this game? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.
Go Ducks!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo by: Eric Becker
Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.