Perhaps, Dillon Gabriel’s two redzone interceptions were a sign of mercy.
For instance, had his two errant throws in the endzone found the Ducks’ yellow “Stomp-out Cancer” jerseys instead of MSU’s whites, Oregon may have scored 50-plus points under the Friday night lights.
From a defensive standpoint, there was little to complain about in No. 6 Oregon’s 31-10 thumping of the Spartans (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten). The Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) limited MSU to 250 total yards in Autzen Stadium’s first ever Big Ten game.
“There’s still some moments for growth and some opportunities that you can’t let slip away that we’ve got to take advantage of,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “But, overall, as a tea, I thought we played pretty well.”
The first half was a sloppy whirlwind, one that nobody anticipated.
Both head coaches got creative on their teams’ opening drives. Lanning called for a deep pass on the first play from scrimmage, but Dillon Gabriel’s pass to Tez Johnson fell incomplete and the Ducks went 3-and-out. MSU (and former Oregon State) head coach Jonathan Smith drew up a 4th-and-2 completion from midfield that brought the Spartans down to the Ducks’ 2-yard line.
MSU looked primed to score. However, one play later, defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell forced an Aidan Chiles fumble on the goal line to turn MSU away empty-handed. A chance for the Spartans to take an early lead and establish momentum was throttled as Jordan Burch jumped on the loose ball, sending Autzen into a frenzy.
But, the chaos was far from over.
Running back Jordan James responded by leading the Ducks’ second drive, collecting 61 yards and setting the Ducks up on the goal line. But, it was then Gabriel’s turn to turn the ball over. Malik Spencer made a diving snag in the endzone for an interception and spoiling the Ducks’ drive.
“The next play is the most important play,” Lanning said. “Your ability to go from one play to the next is really important, and I thought our guys did that tonight.”
The Ducks’ next drive highlighted Gabriel’s grit and leadership. The senior quarterback took a nasty hit after hitting a seated Traeshon Holden for an improbable 37-yard completion. Gabriel left the game for a play, but returned one play later and scored on a 9-yard rushing touchdown, laying a hit of his own at the goal line. His entire offense mobbed around him as the Ducks took the game’s first lead.
“I’ve played a lot of football,” Gabriel said. “Big hits are natural, It’s a physical game. You’ve gotta keep swinging. You don’t stop when the clock’s ticking. I’ve got a job to do.”
One drive later, the Ducks were again knocking on the door after a long screen play to Terrance Ferguson set Oregon up in optimal position to strike again, but another goal-line interception from Gabriel left the offense coming up empty for the second time in the first half.
“Still some moments there for growth,” Lanning said. “In the redzone, there, we’ve gotta come away with points. We’ve gotta go score. That didn’t show up a couple times tonight and it can hurt you later on in the season, so that’s something we’ll definitely attack moving forward.
As was the theme all night, the defense once again did its job, and Oregon got the ball back. James again took the bulk of the work and tallied 34 yards on a scoring drive that he capped off with his fifth rushing touchdown of the season.
James finished with a career-high 166 rushing yards. His previous high was 103, which he more than surpassed with his 151-yard first half.
“I thought we ran the ball effectively tonight,” Lanning said. “That’s something we have to continue to do to be a great team.”
A string of sacks late in the second quarter forced another MSU punt. The Spartans had 179 punting yards in the first half, compared to just 21 rushing yards. Had it not been for Gabriel’s two blunders, Oregon could’ve been leading by 30-plus points at the half. Instead, a last-minute touchdown pass to Evan Stewart gave Oregon a 21-0 lead to take into the break.
The third quarter featured much of the same. The defense forced a quick stop, aided by a seven-yard Burch sack (he finished with 2.5 on the night), and the offense again took to the ground to move the ball downfield. An errant throw out the back of the endzone sent Evan Stewart to the sideline after a funky landing. Andrew Boyle nailed a 49-yard field goal to extend the lead.
After its initial drive, the Michigan State offense couldn’t do anything remotely positive until Oregon pulled its starters. The Ducks’ defense limited the Spartans to 250 total yards, only 59 of which came on the ground. For a Smith-led team that’s strength was supposedly its rushing game, MSU sure lacked any sort of ground presence, forcing Chiles to be good in the pocket, which he was far from.
Chiles finished 10-17 for 154 yards and a fumble. He was brought down for five sacks, often for big losses.
Gabriel’s second half wasn’t the complete turnaround Oregon fans hoped it would be. He didn’t turn the ball over, but he struggled completing many of his downfield attempts. He finished 20-32 for 257 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns. Johnson was his leading target with 10 receptions for 82 yards.
Johnson pulled in a two-yard touchdown catch on 4th-and-goal to extend the lead with 11:18 remaining in the contest. Again, had Gabriel not gifted MSU two turnovers, it would have been so much worse for Sparty.
MSU led a couple of garbage-time scoring drives against the Oregon second-stringers, making the score look a lot closer than the play on the field was. The Ducks only punted twice on Friday, once on their opening drive and once in garbage time.
Oregon moves to 5-3 all-time against the Spartans, while Lanning improves to 2-1 over Smith. The Ducks are now 7-0 all-time at home on Friday nights.
The national spotlight turns to Autzen next week. Oregon returns to action next Saturday for a crucial home game against No. 3 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten).