Differing from his typically tight-lipped postgame remarks, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was overflowing with positives after the No. 8 Ducks’ (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) 34-13 win over UCLA.
Positives about his quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who “played a really positive game. It’s all him, he’s been extremely efficient all year.”
About the growth of senior edge rusher Jordan Burch, who Lanning thinks is “playing like a big-time player.”
About his defense that “played its best game yet this year.”
And, most notably, about his team’s perseverance after a mid-game lull — “We did a good job bouncing back.”
The first two games of Oregon’s season led to skepticism about 4th-down playcalling, quarterback protection and the team’s ability to play to its star-studded roster’s full capabilities. The team took a significant turn toward the better against Oregon State, and showed more glimpses of progress in Saturday’s Big Ten opener at the Rose Bowl, prompting Lanning to laud his team for seven minutes about his team afterward.
“It was a complete game in a lot of ways,” Lanning said.
Staked to an early lead by a pair of early touchdowns from Traeshon Holden and Jordan James respectively, quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s job was made fairly easy — keep moving the clock and hit his batch of (mostly wide-open) targets. He went on to add another solid night to his resume, tallying 280 yards and three touchdown passes for a quarterback rating of 152.2.
His two favorite peers in success, James and Tez Johnson enjoyed their fair share of action too. James rushed 20 times for 103 yards and a two-yard long touchdown while Johnson racked up 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns of his own that put the game away for good.
“I just outran him,” Johnson said of his first touchdown, a 12-yard haul to break the ice.
The Ducks enjoyed several other developments beyond the early lead. Led by Jordan Burch (a tackle-for-loss and sack on back-to-back plays in the second quarter), the Ducks’ rotation of rushers pressured UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers all night long, leading to just 118 passing yards allowed and forcing a pair of interceptions.
One such moment came as Bryce Boettcher snagged an errant throw from Garbers early in the second quarter, immediately leading to a James touchdown, bringing Oregon’s lead to 17-3.
“The defense helped us flourish,” Gabriel said.
Traeshon Holden had another big game, settling in with Gabriel and adding five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown to his season’s resume.
“He’s a physical body,” Gabriel said of Holden. “ And a guy that’s not afraid of contact… he’s elite.”
And the defense — as it has all year — shined yet again, vexing Garbers with a variety of different looks and pressures, all while the defensive backs were as good as ever.
The only real major hiccup on the day came in the form of Gabriel’s final pass before halftime, a short throw that was jumped by UCLA cornerback Bryan Addison for a 96-yard interception touchdown. The senior defensive back — and former Duck — anticipated the pass, stepped in front of a stumbling Johnson, and saw nothing but open grass on his way to the endzone in what looked to be a potential turning point for his team.
Addison landed another blow to the Ducks as he laid a hit on tight end Terrance Ferguson, who wouldn’t return to the game but should be “okay” per Lanning.
No matter.
Saturday’s contest was all Ducks.
“It shows belief in one another. Adversity is gonna happen, things are going to happen, that’s not going to stop me from going back to my guy,” Gabriel said of the turnover.
When UCLA appeared primed to push its way back in the game, a series of big-time stands from Oregon’s defense thwarted any hope the Bruins had of climbing back.
The first of those inflection points came from defensive back Tysheem Johnson, who intercepted a tipped pass on 4th-and-3 at the Ducks’ 45-yard line.
11 meticulous plays later, the Ducks scored on a 12-yard pass to Johnson, his second of the day, pushing their lead to 21.
Oregon outgained the Bruins a whopping 433 yards to a measly 172, cashing in on nine of 14 3rd-down tries. The Bruins only made life harder on themselves, being penalized nine times for 86 yards. The Ducks needed little help on a mostly stress-free night in Pasadena, earning a dominating win that gave Lanning plenty to feel content about as he reflected postgame from the 100-year-old Rose Bowl Stadium.
“We won in a lot of categories tonight, and I know what we are capable of,” Lanning said.
“The defense put us in a great position and only allowed six points,” Gabriel said.
The defense certainly benefited from another blazing start from the Ducks’ offense, as Oregon scored on all five of its first possessions.
The Ducks return to Autzen Stadium next Friday night as a more unfamiliar Big Ten opponent comes to town. Perhaps Michigan State will provide more of a test than the Bruins gave Lanning’s revived program.
