Oregon Ducks wide receiver Traeshon Holden’s stellar performance makes him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.
Although the Oregon Ducks beat the Michigan Wolverines by 21 points in Week 10, this felt like one of Oregon’s grittiest wins of the season. And on the road in a hostile environment, when injuries were frequent, several depth players stepped up for the Ducks, propelling them to a win.
One of those players to step up was wide receiver Traeshon Holden. At the beginning of the season, I would’ve hesitated to call Holden a “depth player,” but since his ejection against Ohio State for spitting on an opponent, he has not had the same role in the offense. This weekend, Holden was the go-to guy, and it makes him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.
Holden finished the game with 6 catches (his highest total of the season) for 149 yards (his career high). Oregon’s top WR Tez Johnson was injured early in the first quarter and didn’t return, which is part of why Holden was so involved.
Holden didn’t get in the endzone for Oregon, but he still showed up in big moments. In the second quarter, Holden got open in the middle of the field and took Gabriel’s pass for 38 yards on 3rd and 1. Oregon went on to score on that drive, making the score 21-10. On the Ducks’ next drive, Holden caught another long pass, taking the Oregon to goalline where they’d score on the next play.
In the fourth quarter, with the Wolverines still in striking distance, Oregon needed to move the sticks to take back some momentum. On a 3rd and 5 situation, Gabriel hit Holden on a slant for a big first down. A few plays later, on another third down, Holden hauled in another long ball to ice the game for the Ducks.
That 47-yard catch and run was Holden’s final catch of the day. He finished with three third-down conversions and three 35+ yard receptions.
It’s unclear how severe Johnson’s injury is or how long he’ll be out. If he’s not back soon, Oregon will need Holden and the Ducks’ other WRs to step up, and Holden’s performance today should instill confidence in everyone.
What uniform will the Oklahoma Sooners wear on Saturday against the Maine Black Bears?
The Oklahoma Sooners will have a different look when they take the field on Saturday. OU will be breaking out the alternate “Unity” anthracite uniforms against the Maine Black Bears this week to celebrate Military Appreciation Day.
It’s the third time that the “Unity” look has been on display for OU. The Sooners wore the look against Kansas in a 2022 victory and against West Virginia in a 2023 win. They’ll look to make it 3-0 in these alternates this week.
In 2022, the Sooners beat the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks 52-42. The win snapped a three-game losing streak and was the Sooners’ first game after the 49-0 loss to Texas. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] threw for 403 yards and had three total touchdowns. Eric Gray ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Then true freshman [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] added two scores and 69 yards. Marvin Mims and Brayden Willis each had over 100 yards receiving in the bounceback win.
In 2023, the Sooners had another 50-point day in the Unity uniforms, beating West Virginia 59-20 to move to 6-2 on the season. The win snapped Oklahoma’s two-game losing streak after they were upset by Oklahoma State and Kansas on the road. Gabriel, once again, had a monster day with a school record eight total touchdowns. He threw for 423 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 50 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. The Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a 38-7 lead in the second quarter and cruised to victory against the Mountaineers.
It’s just a two-game sample size, but the Sooners seem to get right when they’re playing in the “Unity” alternates. Can they get right on the offensive side of the ball against Maine on Saturday?
It’ll also be the second time Oklahoma has worn an alternate look this season, as they wore Bud Wilkinson-era inspired throwback uniforms back on September 7 in a win over Houston.
[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his Sooners need a win in this game, as they try to carve out a path toward bowl eligibility in 2024. Kickoff against the Black Bears is set for 1:30 p.m. in Norman on ESPN+.
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After week 9, where do Oklahoma’s remaining opponents rank in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll?
The road to bowl eligibility for the Oklahoma Sooners won’t be a smooth ride. Oklahoma will play FCS program Maine this week. Then they go on the road again to begin a four-week stretch against three top 25 programs in the US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 9.
Those teams aren’t all in the top 10 like they were several weeks ago, but the Sooners will face challenges over the final month of the season when they take on the Missouri Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and LSU Tigers.
If the Sooners want to reach a bowl game, they’ll have to take care of business against a tough Maine team and then upset one of the three SEC teams remaining on the schedule.
That doesn’t look as daunting as it did a couple of weeks ago. Missouri lost 34-0 to Alabama on Saturday. It’s the second time they’ve been blown out by a ranked SEC team after suffering a huge loss to Texas A&M a few weeks ago. But at home, the Tigers will pose a challenge, especially if Brady Cook is available. Cook left in the first half yesterday after suffering a hand injury. After Missouri’s loss to Alabama, the Tigers fell to No. 23 in the nation.
Alabama hasn’t been the Alabama of old in 2024, but they were much better against Missouri. The Sooners will have an upset on their mind when they welcome the Crimson Tide to town after their second bye week. Alabama moved up one spot to No. 14 after beating Missouri.
LSU has a very good offense, but the defense is still a work in progress. They were outscored 31-6 in the second half by Texas A&M, ending the Tigers six-game winning streak. LSU fell to No. 16 in the nation after the loss.
Elsewhere in the US LBM Coaches Poll, the Oregon Ducks took home 53 of the possible 54 first-place votes in the poll. The Ducks earned an emphatic 38-9 win over Illinois. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] threw for 291 yards and had four total touchdowns in the win. Georgia is still the No. 2 after their bye week, followed by Penn State, Ohio State, and the Miami Hurricanes to round out the top five.
Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 9
Rank
Team
Record
Points
1
Oregon Ducks
8-0
1,349 (53)
2
Georgia Bulldogs
6-1
1,270 (1)
3
Penn State Nittany Lions
7-0
1,239
4
Ohio State Buckeyes
6-1
1,160
5
Miami Hurricanes
7-1
1,136
6
Texas Longhorns
7-1
1,096
7
Tennessee Volunteers
6-1
987
8
Clemson Tigers
6-1
942
9
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7-1
853
10
Iowa State Cyclones
7-0
846
11
Texas A&M Aggies
7-1
806
12
BYU Cougars
8-0
786
13
Indiana Hoosiers
8-0
741
14
Alabama Crimson Tide
6-2
619
15
Kansas State Wildcats
7-1
533
16
LSU Tigers
6-2
530
17
Pittsburgh Panthers
7-0
495
18
Ole Miss Rebels
6-2
475
19
Boise State Broncos
6-1
459
20
SMU Mustangs
7-1
346
21
Army Black Knights
7-0
278
22
Washington State Cougars
7-1
160
23
Missouri Tigers
6-2
114
24
Illinois Fighting Illini
6-2
89
25
Memphis Tigers
7-1
76
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Navy; No. 25 Vanderbilt;
Others Receiving Votes
Colorado 75; Tulane 27; Louisiana 14; Vanderbilt 13; Navy 10; UNLV 7; Arizona State 5; Virginia Tech 3; Duke 3; Arkansas 3; Louisville 2; James Madison 2; Michigan 1;
List Of Voters
The US LBM Board of Coaches for the 2024 season: Tim Albin, Ohio; Major Applewhite, South Alabama; Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina; Mike Bloomgren, Rice; David Braun, Northwestern; Jeff Brohm, Louisville; Fran Brown, Syracuse; Neal Brown, West Virginia; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Jamey Chadwell, Liberty; Bob Chesney, James Madison; Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan; Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech; Spencer Danielson, Boise State; Ryan Day, Ohio State; Kalen DeBoer, Alabama; Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State; Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri; Mike Elko, Texas A&M; Tony Elliott, Virginia; Jedd Fisch, Washington; James Franklin, Penn State; Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame; Willie Fritz, Houston; Alex Golesh, South Florida; Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky; Mike Houston, East Carolina; Butch Jones, Arkansas State; Brent Key, Georgia Tech; GJ Kinne, Texas State; Chris Klieman, Kansas State; Dan Lanning, Oregon; Rhett Lashlee, SMU; Clark Lea, Vanderbilt; Lance Leipold, Kansas; Pete Lembo, Buffalo; Sean Lewis, San Diego State; Mike Locksley, Maryland; Mike MacIntyre, Florida International; Gus Malzahn, Central Florida; Chuck Martin, Miami (Ohio); Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee; Joey McGuire, Texas Tech; Bronco Mendenhall, New Mexico; Jeff Monken, Army; Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh; Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State; Barry Odom, UNLV; Gerad Parker, Troy; Brent Pry, Virginia Tech; Kirby Smart, Georgia; Mark Stoops, Kentucky; Jon Sumrall, Tulane; Lance Taylor, Western Michigan; Jeff Traylor, Texas-San Antonio.
Following an exciting Week 8 of the 2024 college football season, the Associated Press released their new AP Top 25 on Sunday.
After previous No. 1 Texas was defeated by Georgia, the Longhorns dropped to fifth in the rankings. The Bulldogs now sit at No. 2.
But there’s a new team atop the poll. It’s the Oregon Ducks, fresh off of a dominant 35-0 win over Purdue on Friday night. The Ducks are undefeated and in the midst of an excellent season in their first year in the Big Ten.
Of course, Oregon is quarterbacked by [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], formerly of UCF (2019-2021) and Oklahoma (2022-2023) and is surging under third-year head coach Dan Lanning.
After a second-straight embarrassing loss, the Oklahoma Sooners failed to receive a single vote to be included in the Top 25. OU fell at the hands of South Carolina by a final score of 35-9.
A total of nine SEC teams make up the AP Top 25, with four of those teams (Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama and LSU) making up the rest of Oklahoma’s conference schedule.
The Sooners will try their best to hang with the Rebels next week away from home. They’ll play just their second true road game of the season on Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.
A familiar face has reached the No. 1 spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 8.
After the Texas Longhorns suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] and the Oregon Ducks moved into the No. 1 spot in the latest edition of the US LBM Coaches Poll.
The Ducks received 51 of a possible 53 first-place votes in the poll. The Ducks’ ascension to the top spot in the poll further amplifies the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive struggles. Gabriel’s having a great year for the undefeated Oregon Ducks and have a chance to make a run at the national title.
Georgia moved from No. 4 to No. 2 after their win over Texas. Penn State comes in at No. 3, followed by Ohio State and Miami to round out the top five.
The Longhorns dropped five spots to No. 6 in the nation after their disappointing home loss.
The Oklahoma Sooners, who were the top vote-getter in last week’s Coaches Poll, didn’t receive a single top 25 vote this week. Things could get a lot worse for the Oklahoma Sooners before they get better with five games remaining. Every game but their matchup with Maine will come against a team currently ranked in the top 25.
The Sooners will close the season with LSU, who moved up one spot to No. 7. Alabama, who lost to Tennessee this weekend, dropped eight spots to No. 15. Missouri comes in at No. 17 after their come from behind win over Auburn. Up next for the Sooners are the No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels.
UNLV 28; Syracuse 27; Washington State 25; Duke 7; Memphis 6; Liberty 6; Wisconsin 3; Tulane 3; Cincinnati 2; Nebraska 1; Arizona State 1;
List Of Voters
The US LBM Board of Coaches for the 2024 season: Tim Albin, Ohio; Major Applewhite, South Alabama; Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina; Mike Bloomgren, Rice; David Braun, Northwestern; Jeff Brohm, Louisville; Fran Brown, Syracuse; Neal Brown, West Virginia; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Jamey Chadwell, Liberty; Bob Chesney, James Madison; Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan; Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech; Spencer Danielson, Boise State; Ryan Day, Ohio State; Kalen DeBoer, Alabama; Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State; Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri; Mike Elko, Texas A&M; Tony Elliott, Virginia; Jedd Fisch, Washington; James Franklin, Penn State; Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame; Willie Fritz, Houston; Alex Golesh, South Florida; Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky; Mike Houston, East Carolina; Butch Jones, Arkansas State; Brent Key, Georgia Tech; GJ Kinne, Texas State; Chris Klieman, Kansas State; Dan Lanning, Oregon; Rhett Lashlee, SMU; Clark Lea, Vanderbilt; Lance Leipold, Kansas; Pete Lembo, Buffalo; Sean Lewis, San Diego State; Mike Locksley, Maryland; Mike MacIntyre, Florida International; Gus Malzahn, Central Florida; Chuck Martin, Miami (Ohio); Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee; Joey McGuire, Texas Tech; Bronco Mendenhall, New Mexico; Jeff Monken, Army; Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh; Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State; Barry Odom, UNLV; Gerad Parker, Troy; Brent Pry, Virginia Tech; Kirby Smart, Georgia; Mark Stoops, Kentucky; Jon Sumrall, Tulane; Lance Taylor, Western Michigan; Jeff Traylor, Texas-San Antonio.
The three most important things for the Oregon Ducks to do against the Purdue Boilermakers to ensure a win.
The Oregon Ducks have a short week after their historic win against the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 12th. The Ducks are going on the road to West Lafayette, Indiana, where they’ll take on the Purdue Boilermakers this Friday evening.
Purdue has looked like the worst team in the 18-team Big Ten for most of the season, but last Saturday, they looked like a new team against Illinois, losing to the Fighting Illini in overtime, 50-49.
The major change for the Boilermakers was at quarterback. Ryan Browne started in place of former Texas QB Hudson Card who was injured. Browne threw for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 69.2 percent of his passes, accenting Purdue’s best offensive day of the year.
Below are my three keys to victory for Oregon this weekend. If the Ducks can do these three things, I think they’ll be in great shape to move to 7-0.
Neutralize Ryan Browne
Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Purdue found something last week with Ryan Browne at quarterback instead of Hudson Card — who was in the concussion protocol. Browne is starting again this week even though Card may have medical clearance. It will be up to Oregon’s defense to decide if Browne’s success from the pocket is temporary or Purdue’s new normal. If the Boilermakers passing game is successful, Oregon may be in for a dogfight.
A jump-started offense
Purdue isn’t close to Oregon in terms of skill, but they still have upset potential, especially as the home team. The best well to quell a Boilermakers’ upset bid? A hot start. If the Ducks can drive down the field quickly on their first possession and punch in seven or eight points, it should take the wind out of Purdue’s sails and put Oregon in firm control of the game.
Dominance in the Middle 8
The “Middle 8” (the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half) has been a big focus for Dan Lanning in his time at Oregon, but it hasn’t been a strength for the 2024 Ducks. In games like this with lopsided opponents, the Middle 8 is often where the better team takes control, and if they don’t — as we saw with Alabama and Vanderbilt earlier this year — it can mean bad news for the favorite.
Photo Gallery: The Ducks and their fans enjoy a special night at Autzen
Even if Oregon had lost, the 60,129 fans that were stuffed inside Autzen Stadium were treated to one heck of a game.
The cherry on top, however, is that the Ducks won the contest over Ohio State 32-31 to send the fans into a frenzy that hadn’t been seen before.
In a matchup between the No. 2 and 3 teams in the nation, it would have been difficult to expect a game for the ages. That was a big ask, but both teams delivered. There were seven lead changes and the scoring didn’t stop until 1:50 left with Atticus Sappington’s 19-yard chip shot field goal.
The crowd did its job, and the Oregon defense did its in those last few seconds, forcing Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard to slide down with 0:00 showing on the clock, holding the Buckeyes off the scoreboard to preserve the huge victory.
Here are the best pics from a night none of us will ever forget.
Dillon Gabriel turned country crooner after Oregon edged Ohio State
The Oregon Ducks defeated Ohio State in a Big Ten thriller Saturday night, 32-31.
After the game, a reporter asked Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel a question about his college career, which has seen him play for UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon.
The question inspired Gabriel to sing a little Morgan Wallen. Gabriel accounted for 373 yards of offense and three touchdowns.
Reporter: “Dillon you’ve been coast to coast with 3 programs…”
Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel’s epic performance earns him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game Award.
The Oregon Ducks won the biggest game in Autzen History. No. 2 Ohio State. No. 3 Oregon. Not anymore.
The Ducks defeated the Buckeyes 32-31, in a game that came down to the final moment. With six seconds to go and on the fringe of field goal range, Ohio State elected to run another play instead of kicking a field goal. Quarterback Will Howard couldn’t complete the play in time, and the clock ran out.
But before all that, fans at home and fans in Autzen Stadium were treated to a truly spectacular performance by Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. It wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by his 68 completion percentage, but in the moments that matter, he rose up, to places we haven’t seen.
Oregon scored four touchdowns in the game, three of which Gabriel was responsible for. Two in the air, two on the ground. The two passing touchdowns were spectacular balls thrown first to Evan Stewart in the corner of the end zone, and second, a long bomb to the Ducks’ speed demon Tez Johnson.
Gabriel’s other touchdown? A 27-yard option play on which he made two Buckeyes miss and strolled into the end zone to put Oregon up 29-28 a minute into the fourth quarter, electrifying an already amped crowd.
Gabriel finished the game with 23/34 passes completed for 341 yards and two TDs. He rushed for 32 yards and the aforementioned — electrifying — touchdown. It isn’t even his best stat line this season, but it was certainly his best performance, and it’s earned him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.
In a win like this, or any win for that matter, it doesn’t come down to one player. Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, and Jordan James all had spectacular games. The front seven showed up in big moments, and the secondary won the game for the Ducks on the Buckeyes’ final drive. But this Saturday night, Dillon Gabriel shined the brightest among a team of stars.
Ohio State football will get its first top-25 battle against the Oregon Ducks, and Dillon Gabriel is coming off his worst performance yet.
Ohio State football will be entering its Week 6 matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes undefeated Saturday, and it is expected to come out with an easy home win, closing as more than a double-digit favorite.
Looking ahead to Week 7, the Buckeyes will face the Oregon Ducks, who are led by Oklahoma transfer QB Dillon Gabriel, one of the biggest names in the transfer portal this past offseason.
However, while Gabriel has 11 touchdowns on the season, he will be facing a dangerous Ohio State secondary after his worst performance of the season, also throwing two interceptions in the 31-10 win over the Michigan State Spartans.
Gabriel spoke on the performance and how he’s already looking ahead to his matchup with the Buckeyes via 247Sports Erik Skopil.
“Great opportunity. I think it’s a great opportunity because it’s the next and two great programs that have been known for playing good football. It’s things you look to as a young man and playing the game is big time moments in great atmospheres. I’m super excited for it. We’ll put this one to rest tomorrow and go through it and dive into and see how we can get better and then it’ll be full steam ahead,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel will be primed to be in arguably the biggest moment of his career. However, he is coming off a game in which he has two interceptions and had his worst completion percentage (62.5%) of the season.
Against a Buckeyes defense that is among the best in the conference, the star might continue to struggle.
