Route In Eugene. The Ducks Are For Real

Photo by Evan Luceke / fi360 News

EUGENE, OR – The Oregon Ducks are ranked number 1 for the first time since 2012, and they undoubtedly showcased why Saturday as they handedly defeated the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illilni 38-9.

Oregon wasted no time Saturday, jumping to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Head Coach Dan Lanning stated that “[it] really helped that both sides of the ball started off fast tonight. That’s always a positive for us”.

Dillon Gabriel and the offense were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted early, logging 363 total yards on offense and scoring four touchdowns in the first half where they led 35-3, but struggled in the second half where they walked away with only three points.

Photo by Evan Luceke / fi360 News

With Gabriel struggling after the first quarter, the Ducks were able to lean on their run game to chew clock and control the game. The Ducks running game was led by Jordan James and Noah Whittington, who rushed for a combined 139 yards on 22 carriers.

Illinois had opportunities where they could have made the game competitive, but the Ducks defense continuously came up big when they needed to. Most notably in the second quarter after forcing Oregon to punt, Illinois marched into Oregon’s red zone but were forced to settle for a field goal.

The Ducks defense came up big again in the third quarter as Illinois drove down to the Oregon 2 yard line but failed to convert on 4th down and left without any points still training 35-3.

Oregon has had electric offenses in the past, but the elite level defense that head coach Dan Lanning has put together is something the program hasn’t had even in their best years. Last week Oregon’s defense shut Purdue out in a 35-0 victory on the road and held Illinois to only 9 points Saturday while recording two interceptions, and three sacks.

When asked about the importance of the defense limiting possessions early head coach Dan Lanning explained that “When you can get off the field and limit their opportunities… that’s going to create success”.

Photo by Ric Tapia / fi360 News

There was a lot of uncertainty heading into Oregon’s first season as members of the Big Ten conference, but Lanning has his Ducks playing as good of football as anyone in the country and they clearly are legit contenders for not only the Big Ten Championship, but the National Championship.

Oregon will look to improve on their perfect season next week when they travel to face the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Mi. Kickoff is set for 12:30 PST on Saturday November, 2nd.