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The No. 1 Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten Conference) handled business on Nov. 9. The Ducks defeated the Maryland Terrapins (4-5, 1-5 B1G) at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., 39-18. Dillon Gabriel continued to impress by throwing for three touchdowns.
Oregon had control of this game early, despite the Terps starting with a 3-0 lead on their opening drive. Oregon responded quickly with a TD drive capped off by a Jordan James 3-yard TD carry.
Oregon's defense quickly added to the lead by scoring on a scoop-and-score thanks to Jordan Burch tallying another sack. Maryland's Billy Edwards fumbled and the Ducks' Brandon Johnson scooped it for a 39-yard TD scamper. Gabriel didn't throw for as many yards as many expected (183). Because of a big second-half lead, he did not need to do so by Oregon head coach Dan Lanning and the coaching staff. Gabriel set the all-time total FBS TD record on Nov. 9, surpassing Houston's Case Keenum with 178. Gabriel ended the night with 180 total TD passes in his career.
Game Summary
The game seemed shaky at the beginning. Maryland marched down the field to open the game and kicked a field goal, giving the Terps a 3-0 lead. The Ducks then responded with a three-and-out, forcing Maryland to punt it right back on the next drive. Oregon scored a TD on its second drive with a 3-yard carry by James. Roman Hemby capped off a 9-play, 70-yard drive in retaliation for the Terps to cut the lead to 14-10.
The Ducks' offense began to catch a rhythm. Gabriel then led the Ducks on a 12-play, 75-yard TD drive capped off by a 9-yard pass from Gabriel to Terrance Ferguson that was confirmed after a brief review. Ferguson is rapidly catching the attention of NFL scouts because of his ability at tight end. He most certainly be playing on Sundays next season. Ferguson finished with 6 receptions for 35 yards and a TD despite recently recovering from an injury to his appendix.
The Ducks and Terps traded punts to start the second half, but Oregon responded again. Gabriel led Oregon's offense on an 8-play, 85-yard TD drive. The Hawaiian-born quarterback broke the all-time FBS total TD record on this drive on a 3-yard scoring pass to Genorris Wilson on a play-action pass. Gabriel added a third TD pass in the fourth quarter. He found Evan Stewart open on a drag route from the strong side. Stewart caught it toward midfield, went down the weakside sideline and scored. Stewart had 6 receptions for 55 yards and a TD. Stewart was in line to have a big day thanks to Tez Johnson, Oregon's leading receiver, going down with a shoulder injury in the Michigan game last weekend. Johnson being out is a crucial blow to the Ducks' offense. Luckily, they have a plethora of weapons at wide receiver and should survive without him for a while.
Turning Point For The Ducks
This game got off to a slower start for the Ducks when compared to their last two games. Despite winning by three scores, Oregon began the game sleepwalking for a bit. Perhaps because this is the first game where they were major favorites to win and didn't have to deal with any social media or analyst hype about an upset, like the Purdue game. Many expected Oregon to sleepwalk against a team like the Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium, where they have upset multiple top-10 teams in the last decade. The Ducks beat Purdue 35-0, though.
A true "trap game" is where the favored team genuinely overlooks the other for a plethora of reasons, including the spread, where they are always heavily favored. No one gave any attention to the idea that the Maryland Terrapins would see a slower Oregon team on Nov. 9 and that is the beauty of it. Nonetheless, Oregon still won the game by over 20 points. It was a good day overall for Lanning and Gabriel. It is never a bad day when your quarterback sets the all-time FBS total TD record. Oregon has not had a close game since it played Ohio State, where the Ducks won 32-31. Oregon should appreciate the fact that they are not in a nail-biter against teams they should blow out.
As far as a turning point, it would have to be when Gabriel led the Ducks on a TD drive in the third quarter to increase their lead to 29-10. It seemed out of reach for the Terps at this point. Oregon ultimately won 39-18 after adding a field goal and one more TD.
What This Means for the Ducks
Oregon is now 10-0, with a clear path to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, Ind., after the regular season. All that remains on the schedule for the Ducks is a road game against the Wisconsin Badgers (5-4) and a home game against their arch-rival Washington Huskies (5-5). Lanning and the Ducks should be in the College Football Playoff this season, barring anything extreme to prevent such an outcome. Even if the Ducks add one loss to their resume before the selection committee decides on who to put in the postseason, they should still easily have enough of a case to be in the CFP opening round.
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