Dillion Gabriel – Syndication Server

3 Keys to Victory for the Oregon against the Boise State Broncos

The three biggest things the Oregon Ducks need to do to beat the Boise State Broncos this Saturday.

After the Oregon Ducks’ unimpressive win against the Idaho Vandals in week one, they need to make a statement against Boise State in week two. The Broncos came out of week one 1-0, and they’ll also be trying to protect their undefeated record against Oregon.

The Ducks outmatch the Broncos on paper, but this will be a dogfight. Boise State has one of the best running backs in the country, and they are a popular pick to secure the group of five bid for the 2024 College Football Playoff.

This game has the late-night slot this weekend, so we’ll have to see if after-dark madness translates from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. After the stress of week one, I’m sure Oregon fans would prefer a calm, nerves-free win over Boise State this week to a thriller.

Below are the three biggest keys for the Ducks to secure a comfortable win.

Stout Up Front

The biggest concern raised by the Ducks’ week one performance was inconsistency on the line of scrimmage. On the offensive line, mistakes came often, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel rarely had quality protection. The absence of Oregon’s offense for most of the Idaho game isn’t solely the fault of the O-line, but it was a big issue. This week, the run and pass game will both need more consistent blocking for Oregon to be successful.

Neutralizing Jeanty

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Lanning said it earlier this week, “I think it’s the best running back I’ve seen since I’ve since I’ve been here. You know, he’s certainly an NFL guy.” In the Broncos’ week one game, RB Ashton Jeanty rushed for 267 yards and 6 TDs, almost single-handily carrying Boise State to a win. If the Ducks can shut him down on Saturday night, they’ll be putting themselves in a good spot to win.

Offensive Timing

Throughout the Idaho game, Oregon’s timing on offense was just off. Linemen and running backs were tripping over one another as they filled their spots, penalties were frequent, and many of Dillon Gabriel’s throws weren’t coming out on time. Being out of sync like that is to be expected in week one, especially on a team with so many new faces. In week two, the Ducks need to work out those timing issues, so they can create fluid offense.

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Dillon Gabriel No. 8 in CBS Sports QB Power Rankings

Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel dropped a few spots in CBS Sports’ QB Power Rankings.

The loss at Kansas State fortunately left Oklahoma Sooners Dillon Gabriel out of the crosshairs of the national media becuase, well, the loss wasn’t his fault. Gabriel didn’t show anything against the Wildcats that Sooners fans weren’t already aware of. He had a strong performance in the loss.

However, Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports had a rather interesting point of view on Gabriel in his QB Power Rankings for this week.

Dillon Gabriel certainly isn’t the reason Oklahoma lost to Kansas State, but some of his limitations were displayed in the loss. Gabriel finished with 330 yards passing and four touchdowns, but he is a boom-or-bust QB. When he’s hitting the big plays, his teams are nearly unstoppable. He struggles when the big play isn’t there, however, and you need him to string some singles together instead of home runs. He struggled to hit the singles against Kansas State. -Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

Respectfully, this is not a good assessment of Dillon Gabriel as a football player, nor of what happened against Kansas State.

Gabriel knows how to take what the defense gives him. He doesn’t need the “big play” to be successful. When Jeff Lebby calls for quick passes, Gabriel will throw them. Offensive line penalties were as much an issue as anything else that happened offensively Saturday.

Gabriel fell two spots from last week’s ranking and Kansas QB Jalon Daniels deservedly made his debut in the top 10 at No. 7.

The usual suspects, CJ Stroud and Bryce Young, are at No. 1 and No.2, and Caleb Williams dropped a spot to No. 4.

Should Gabriel have a great game against TCU, it will be interesting to see if he can climb higher than No. 8.

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What quarterbacks will Nebraska face in 2022?

The Huskers will see a talented slate of quarterbacks in 2022!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will face a diverse lineup of quarterbacks in 2022. First, the Huskers will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in former Texas signal-caller Casey Thompson. And Nebraska is not alone in using a transfer quarterback. The transfer quarterback was a rarity in college football but not any longer. Four of the twelve quarterbacks Nebraska will face in 2022 are first-year transfers. And if you take a deeper look at the roster of QBs, six of the 12 quarterbacks the Cornhuskers will face in 2022 are transfers not at their original school of commitment.

The transfer rules in college football will likely change in some way, shape, or form in the near future. What those new rules will look like and how they curb the recent wave of transfers in college football is unknown. But be prepared as the college football world will be undergoing more changes after 2022.

Take a look below at the 12 projected starting quarterbacks Nebraska will face this upcoming season. The list includes old faces and new, as well as a former Husker who will get a rematch against his old team. So get ready, the season opener is less than 60-days away.