No. 2 Ducks Shut Out Purdue 35-0 Despite Short Week

© Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten Conference) flew into Lafayette, Ind., on Oct. 18 and dominated the Purdue Boilermakers (1-6, 0-4). The final score was 35-0, marking Oregon's first shutout since 2012. This marks the largest shutout victory for the Ducks since they beat West Virginia (35-0) in 1963. Head coach Dan Lanning is coming off the biggest win of his tenure at Oregon after beating No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1) last weekend. However, the Ducks had to flush that victory quickly and prepare for Purdue on Friday Night. The short week seemed to be no problem for Oregon.

Game Summary

The Ducks opted to receive after winning the coin toss. The opening drive showed everyone why they chose to take the ball. Oregon marched down the field on the opening drive, which included a 49-yard bomb from Dillon Gabriel to Evan Stewart down the right sideline. Jordan James capped off the drive with his first of 2 touchdown rushes on the day. Oregon's defense was a brick wall all night, tallying stop after stop. Oregon quickly gained control of the crowd on the second drive that was capped off by James' second touchdown rush on a fourth-and-goal conversion inside the 1-yard line.

Gabriel was very efficient throughout the day, except for one sailed throw that led to an interception just before the half. He finished 21-of-25 with 290 yards and 2 touchdown passes, with 1 interception. Gabriel's first touchdown throw was to Tez Johnson for 12 yards in the second quarter, and his second was to Noah Whittington early in the fourth quarter. While he may not have put together the type of Heisman Trophy-level performance we saw last week, Gabriel was still very well in a rhythm despite not having Terrance Ferguson or Traeshon Holden in the game. Ferguson seems to be dealing with an appendix issue, while Holden was almost certainly held off the field last night for disciplinary purposes from last week's game, where he spit in a player's face. Holden later publicly apologized.

Turning Point for the Ducks

Unlike a few games this season, this one was over from the start. The turning point might as well have been the opening kickoff, given how dominant the Ducks were. The opening drive silenced the crowd, and James' second touchdown was the last time Purdue's fans got loud. Once Gabriel connected with Stewart for that 49-yard completion, things seemed easy for Oregon.

What It Means for the Ducks?

Oregon is now 7-0 for the first time since 2013. This is the best start from the Ducks in more than a decade. Oregon seems to have silenced critics who said they could not handle the B1G. This is also Oregon's first actual road B1G victory, considering UCLA (1-5, 0-4) was with them in the Pac-12 Conference. Everything the Ducks want to achieve is still right in front of them, and they have a solid shot at making it to the B1G championship as long as they handle business for the remainder of their schedule. Oregon is headed back home to prepare for No. 22 Illinois (5-1, 2-1) next week, who barely beat Purdue last weekend 50-49.