The Oregon Ducks had a dream inaugural year in the Big Ten. They will head to the College Football Playoff 13-0 after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship. Saturday’s loss dropped Penn State to 11-2 on the season. Oregon came out of the gates on fire, and they never looked back. The Ducks defense dominated the vaunted defense of the Nittany Lions all game. Will Oregon be able to continue their winning ways in the postseason?
Oregon Ducks Hold Slim Lead After the First Half
The Oregon Ducks came out of the gates firing on all cylinders scoring a touchdown on their first three drives of the game. They put together a 9-play 84-yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead and followed it up with a 75-yard touchdown drive. The first two touchdown passes were caught by Tight End Kenyon Sadiq. Sadid had caught no touchdowns heading into the Big Ten Championship. Another passing touchdown by Quarterback Dillon Gabriel made it three straight touchdown drives for the No. 1 team in the nation.
Penn State’s offense also started this marquee game well. They drove into the Oregon red zone, but the Ducks defense held firm and held the Nittany Lions to a field goal on their opening drive. Penn State put together a nine-play touchdown drive capped off by a connection between Quarterback Drew Allar and Running Back Nicholas Singleton on their second drive.
After trading punts on the next few drives, it was time for the Oregon defense to come up with a play. They picked off Allar and returned it to the 1-yard line. The Ducks would punch the ball in on the next play to take a commanding 28-10 lead early in the second quarter. Penn State responded with a touchdown drive to cut the Oregon Ducks lead to 28-17. Penn State forced the Oregon Ducks to punt on their next drive and scored a touchdown to cut the Oregon lead to 28-24. Oregon tacked on a field goal to take a 31-24 lead into halftime.
Second Half Was An Exciting 30 Minutes
Penn State put together an 11-play drive on the first drive of the second half, but Kicker Ryan Barker pushed the field goal to maintain Oregon’s 31-24 advantage. Oregon’s offense picked up where they left off in the first half with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Wide Receiver Tez Johnson. Oregon now led 38-24. Penn State’s offense got to work with a 96-yard drive where they threw no passes. They were unsuccessful on the two-point conversion as Oregon led 38-30 early in the fourth quarter.
The Oregon Ducks, as they had done all game, would respond on offense when needed. They put together a 75-yard drive to take a 45-30 lead. Penn State would not go quietly into the night though as they responded once more to cut Oregon’s lead to 45-37 with 3:41 left in the game. Penn State’s defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out to give their offense back the ball with approximately two minutes left.
Penn State was marching down the field, but Allar’s second interception all but sealed the victory for the Oregon Ducks. Defensive Back Nikko Reed came up with the clutch interception. Oregon needed one first down to notch the victory, and they turned to the star of the game, Dillon Gabriel. He picked up the game-sealing first down on a 7-yard scramble.
What This Result Means For the College Football Playoff
The Oregon Ducks entered this game ranked No. 1 and they will hold that ranking when the final CFP rankings are released later today. This spot will guarantee a bye for the undefeated team. Penn State will also be in the CFP for the first time and should be seeded 5-8 seed which means they will host a playoff game in a few weeks.
Final Thoughts
Penn State Head Coach James Franklin continued his struggles against top-10 teams as he is now 3-18 against them during his coaching career including 0-2 this season. The Nittany Lions defense was sixth in the nation entering this game allowing just 14 points per game. They did not play up to their potential Saturday night. It was the first time Penn State’s defense had surrendered 40+ points in a game since allowing 41 points to Michigan during the 2022 season.
Both offenses were great in this game, and the quarterbacks played especially strong. Gabriel tied a Big Ten Championship record with 5 passing touchdowns. Dwayne Haskins set the record in 2018 against Northwestern. Allar also played well, but he was unable to keep pace with the Oregon Ducks offense. He finished 22-of-39 with 226 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. His two interceptions cost the Nittany Lions in this back-and-forth contest. This game featured two of the best teams in the nation and will be formidable contenders to advance deep into the College Football Playoff.
