WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With myriad circumstances setting up to make for a letdown against a vastly inferior opponent known for derailing the seasons of top 5 teams, No. 2 Oregon delivered an all-around performance and dominated the night for its first shutout since 2012.
The emotional high of beating Ohio State? The short week? Traveling to the Eastern time zone? None of it mattered.
The Ducks, led by Dillon Gabriel and 21 other scholarship seniors, were not looking past Purdue in a 35-0 rout in front of 57,463 at Ross-Ade Stadium Friday night.
It was Oregon’s first shutout since Sept. 22, 2012, against Arizona (49-0), its first road shutout since 1992 (7-0 at Oregon State) and its largest road shutout since beating West Virginia (35-0) on Oct. 5, 1963.
All of this against Purdue, which no matter how beleaguered at the moment, has seven wins against ranked teams over the past six years, including three against top 3 teams.
“This place has a history of being a place that people struggle to come play at, especially coming off of highs like last week,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “I was proud that our guys were able to go out there and get a victory.”
No. 2 Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 22 Illinois (5-1, 2-1)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 26
- Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
- Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
- TV channel: CBS
- Stream: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial). If you already have a cable provider, use your login information to watch this game on cbssports.com.
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Preserving the shutout, which evaded Oregon a few times over the past couple of seasons, was important enough that Bryce Boettcher was in for a late third down stop.
“Coach was like, ‘Hey get your butt in the game, can’t give up any points right here,’” Boettcher said. “I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it. Let’s get it done.’ We obviously did that, so it was awesome.”
Oregon held Purdue under 100 yards passing, a plateau the Boilermakers also failed to reach in a loss to Oregon State this season. Ryan Browne (9 of 19 for 92 yards with an interception) had 48 of the 208 rushing yards on the night for the Boilermakers.
“There was certainly a lot of positives — when you keep a team out of the end zone that’s a positive,” Lanning said. “We were able to create some takeaways. I think that’s always a plus as well. But I think we have to tackle better for us to be the team that we want to be.”
The second-team defense came through as Kam Alexander’s late interception in the end zone sealed the shutout.
“I think there’s a lot of guys on our team that are ready for their moments when their moments call,” Lanning said. “Kam coming up with that pick is huge. You saw some TFLs from some of our young defensive linemen there at the end. Some guys coming in on offense being able to run the ball that maybe haven’t gotten the same opportunities as others but we always talk about next man up and being ready for your moment, I thought we saw some of that tonight.”
Gabriel threw for 290 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, spreading the ball out to seven different players even with his No. 3 and 4 targets unavailable.
The sixth-year quarterback was 21 of 25 and his interception, while a high throw, went off and through the hands of Tez Johnson. He was also sacked for the first time in five games and while appreciative of the win, acknowledged areas he and the team need to get better.
“I think coach (Dan) Lanning did a great job of it all week, not letting one week affect the rest of the season — and I say that in a negative way,” Gabriel said. “It’s really living week to week and being in the moment. Now more than ever you have to be present. You have to produce every single week and not let a good or a bad in the past affect the future. We’ve been really focused on the now and the present and continue to try and get better.”
In the first of its three trips East during the regular season, Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) started fast, built a comfortable lead, and cruised its way to a notable win that lacked much to otherwise remember. That will more than do in a season that’s already seen a volume of stunning upsets in college football.
“There’s no cupcakes, but more importantly you got to produce week in and week out,” Gabriel said. “We know that and it’s what we’re focused on, living in the moment, being present. So we’re never looking too far ahead, never look behind.”
— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
