Dillon Gabriel felt that he and Oregon were were a “perfect” match when he decided to move there, and Saturday night he proved his instincts were right.
The highest ranked ducks remained undefeated despite a stellar effort by No. 3 Penn State to win the Big Ten 45-37.
The Ducks led by as many as 18 in the first half and scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives. Penn State pulled within four points, but after getting back up to 14 midway through the third quarter, Oregon seemed to have all the momentum with a 38-24 lead.
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Jordan James #20 and Marcus Harper II #55 of the Oregon Ducks celebrate after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the 2024 Big Ten Football Championship game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Indianapolis , Indiana. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
The Nittany Lions weren’t dead yet, however, as Kaytron Allen had runs of 32 and 26 yards on a drive and finished the job with a one-yard score. However, James Franklin chose to be aggressive and go for two, but their version of the Philly Special was unsuccessful.
Oregon’s offense then did its usual thing, going on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a Jordan James touchdown, his second, to go up 45-30 with 7:28 to go.
But Penn State stayed alive — on 4th-and-10, Drew Allar narrowly escaped a sack and zipped one into the end zone for a score to make it an eight-point game — and then they forced a three-and- off off. But Allar went deep and he was taken out. Oregon was able to get a first down, as Penn State ran out of timeouts, to clinch the title.
Kenyon Sadiq #18 of the Oregon Ducks reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the 2024 Big Ten Football Championship game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Tez Johnson had a day to himself, catching 11 passes for a Big Ten championship record 181 yards and a touchdown. Dillon Dabriel completed 22 of his 32 passes for 283 yards and four scores.
Oregon will in all likelihood be the only player in the playoffs, and despite the loss, Penn State is certainly in the running to host a first-round matchup. They will discover their fate on Sunday afternoon.
Dontae Manning #8 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates an interception against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second quarter of the 2024 Big Ten Football Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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As for the Ducks, it’s their first conference title since winning the Pac-12 in 2020, and they’re now gearing up for their first playoff appearance since 2014, the year the playoffs were born.
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