The Ducks Have Their Day

And yes, they played Dolly Parton as you stormed the field.

Your Oregon Ducks just won the game of the year (so far).

They beat Ohio State in a knock-down-drag-out, one-answer-after-another kind of football game that will go down in history as the best one Autzen has ever seen.

Oregon did not play a perfect game by any means.

They botched an extra point, they missed a field goal, they couldn’t convert on 4th & Goal, and yet, they still found a way to beat the, “best roster in college football.”

This past summer was filled with a lot of noise about Chip Kelly, Quinshon Judkins, Caleb Downs, and our own running back coach, Carlos Locklyn, all becoming Buckeyes, but on Saturday night Dan Lanning made some noise of his own.

From the portal, to high school recruiting, to good-old-fashioned development, Dan won that football game with his guys, his way.

He went out and got Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell, two B1G bodies to plug up running holes and push around traditionally chunky Big Ten offensive lines.

And not only did Harmon force a pivotal fumble early in the game, but the front seven’s second half performance is one of the most impressive things a position group has ever done at the University of Oregon.

Sure, Ohio nonsensically departed from the run just a bit as the game went on, but Dan & Tosh put their guys in the position to stop Judkins & Henderson in their tracks—and that was without Jordan Burch!

Matayo turned into, “The Run Stopper.” Jeff Bassa was a fierce leader over the loudest crowd in Autzen history. Brandon Johnson tackled well in space, Devon Jackson continued his ascent to future LB1, and Jabbar Muhammad came up with huge plays in the secondary (twelve players on the field or not).

Dan’s defense, against those Ohio wide receivers and running backs, was absolutely Elite. With a capital E.

In my preview, I said they had two Jordan Jameses, but that was wrong! They only had two 1/2 Jordan Jameses.

The Ducks also went out and got deep threats like Evan Stewart.

My cousin Michael—along with my cousin Andy—is taking a victory lap this week because we finally targeted Stewart to his liking and the numbers showed out: seven catches, 149 yards, and a massive touchdown with a guy in his facemask.

Denzel Burke—Ohio’s “star” cornerback—was supposed to be a top draft pick, but when he plummets into the second round, he’ll have Stewart and Tez to blame for absolutely exposing him all night long.

And naturally, we have to talk about the guy that threw them all those perfect deep balls…

Dillon Gabriel played his best game as a Duck exactly when it was needed.

With 341 yards through the air, two passing touchdowns, and a crucial twenty-seven yard scamper into the end zone, DG cemented himself into a special place in Oregon fans’ hearts forever.

His spiral was the stuff of legend against the best defense in the country and he avoided pressure all night long with the help of his once-maligned offensive line.

Jack Sawyer and JTT couldn’t touch him, and it didn’t seem like the OSU defensive coaches 1) ever tried to do anything different to get more pressure or, 2) like they even cared either way.

But gosh, DG was great. I just love that guy.

Earlier this year, Nick Saban said that the portal is great, but if you don’t pay the right guys, “then you’re shit out of luck.”

Ohio State and Oregon was pretty much the pressure test of that thesis, and the results are in:

✅ Derrick Harmon & Jamaree Caldwell

✅ Evan Stewart

✅ Dillon Gabriel

Yeah, I think Dan found the right guys.

Like I said earlier, this game was perfectly imperfect.

We achieved an absolutely euphoric result despite the fact that Dan was too precious with a first half timeout to demand a review for Bassa’s interception.

And THEN we chased points way too early with a failed two-point conversion attempt, and THEN we had to settle for a go-ahead field goal with way too much time left on the clock.

And still, Dan somehow out-chipped Chip AGAIN with a possession-stealing onside kick and he exposed an insane loophole in the college football rules where a twelve men on the field penalty allows the clock to run and he forced Ryan Day into a final play, one play too early.

This head coach still has a little bit of Ferris Bueller in him, but there’s nobody I’d rather follow into battle than our fiery, four-steps-ahead-of-you, Zyn-chomping king.

Oregon is now ranked number two in the country with a supremely clear path ahead of them towards all of their wildest dreams.

This one was big, and Autzen Stadium was a religious place to be on Saturday night, but here’s to hoping we see a few bigger ones as the year goes on.

Go Ducks.