EUGENE, OR – The No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks remain unbeaten (10-0) following their 39-18 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in a game that was closer than the final score would suggest after committing 12 penalties for 95 yards on the night.
Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning described Saturday’s game as a “Poor performance” in reference to the amount of penalties against the Ducks, and went on to say “We didn’t play clean. I don’t know if we were distracted or if we weren’t focused… [it’s] definitely something for us to attack and clean up”.
Despite their costly penalties, it was the Oregon defense that ultimately made the difference Saturday where they held Maryland to 7/19 on third down conversions, forced 3 total turnovers, and recorded 6 pass breakups.
Early in the second quarter Oregon star defensive end Jordan Burch got pressure on Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and was able to force a fumble which was recovered by Brandon Johnson and ran back for a 42-yard touchdown extending Oregon’s lead at 14-3.
The highlight of the night came in the third quarter when Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel set the all-time FBS record for most career touchdowns at 179. The record setting touchdown came in an unusual way, as Gabriel found offensive tackle, Gernorris Wilson, for a 3-yard touchdown.
Despite stalling out at times, Gabriel was able to lead the Ducks to points when he needed to. On the night Gabriel completed 23/24 attempts for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Regardless of the unusually low completion percentage and yardage total for Gabriel, the Ducks are more than happy to walk away with another victory at home. Big Ten wins are difficult no matter the opponent. Gabriel stated after the game that “You have to bring your A game every week, and I didn’t think we did that. That starts with me”.
The Ducks, who were already without wide receiver Tez Bryant, look to have escaped two additional injuries after Jordan Burch and Jordan James left with injuries and did not return. The Ducks will hope to get healthy before heading to the University of Wisconsin next week to take on the 5-4 Badgers.
