“Lets, Go, Ducks” their fans pleaded, and so they went, fire beneath their tails, hearts on their padded sleeves, through turnovers and punches thrown back — all resulting in one final stop capping off an Autzen Stadium screamer.  

As Will Howard slid down as time expired, his opponents poured out from the sideline and swallowed the scene near the 25-yard line.

Around them, the collective force of 60,129 fans — an Autzen Stadium record —, all too accustomed to big-game frustration and heartbreak roared, then rushed the field in delirious unison.

With a 32-31 defeat of the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) in Saturday’s marquee matchup, the No. 3 Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) did more than just best their now-conference rivals, adding another win to their perfect 6-0 record. 

They marked a new peak in the Dan Lanning era with players and fans celebrating euphorically on Rich Brooks Field.

“We talked about how this was a heavyweight fight,” Lanning said. “It certainly went back-and-forth, but we played aggressive tonight.”

One of the biggest early moments of aggression came in the form of Lanning calling for an onside kick with a shorter kick-off due to an OSU penalty. Andrew Boyle drilled the ball off an OSU defender, and fell on the ball. The play-call took a possession away from the Buckeyes, the game came down to a single point. Lanning later called a deep pass to Tez Johnson on 3rd-and-9, the connection propelling Oregon’s offense out of what looked to be a dying drive. 

But the moment that will go down in history was when Howard slid down as the clock struck zero — the Buckeyes had a timeout and never got to use it. Kicking woes that have seemingly always plagued the Ducks didn’t matter, Atticus Sappington’s 19-yarder with 1:47 remaining was all they would need. 

“We kicked the field goal and said ‘Let’s go play defense’,” Lanning said. 

In what was Lanning’s first win against a College Football blue-blood, his squad gave a field-storming group of fans plenty of reasons to cheer during a back-and-forth thriller.

There was Evan Stewart, who was seemingly always open, tallying seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.

“We took advantage of matchups,” Dillon Gabriel said of getting Stewart open. “We have a lot of talent, but there’s only one ball, today was his day and he took full advantage of it.”

And Gabriel, who made almost all of the passes he needed to. Expertly dialing up the deep ball to Stewart on a 69-yard gain that led to Oregon’s second touchdown drive. 

Coming off a two-turnover game, Gabriel quieted any doubts, playing his best game as a Duck under the brightest of lights. 

“I can’t say enough good things about Dillon,” Lanning said. “And even though that stadium is packed, you feel like Dillon is out operating like it’s an empty practice on a Tuesday.”

With the game coming down to the wire, and every point proving pivotal, both the Buckeyes and Ducks traded field goals on consecutive drives, leading to the series of plays that made the difference.

The craziness that happened at the start of the game proved to be a harbinger for the postgame scene — with thousands of fans on the field celebrating with the players who had just won one of the biggest games of their lives.

The bedlam began, rather early on Saturday night, with confusion on quarterback Will Howard’s (326 yards, two touchdowns) 32-yard competition to Will Kacmarek. Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa came up with the ball on the ground, but no review was had. The Buckeyes scored three plays later. 

“We got too excited for that play and almost didn’t get back for the next one,” Lanning said. 

Oregon punted, but on the next Buckeye drive, running back Quinshon Judkins had the ball ripped out by Derrick Harmon in the backfield. The fumble gave Oregon the ball on the 28-yard-line, and Jordan James ran in his sixth touchdown of the season just two plays later. For good measure, the Ducks almost had their botched extra-point attempt returned for a touchdown. 

On any normal night, maybe that would’ve been a turning point. On this particularly-dizzying Saturday night, it was just the first of several.

There was when Oregon went for it on 4th-and-goal from the OSU 2-yard line and failed — Gabriel missing a wide-open Johnson on his blindside. Or when Howard had trouble with the snap on his team’s next possession, giving the Ducks another chance on a night full of them. They cashed in as Gabriel scampered 27 yards into the endzone with 13:24 left in the contest. 

Oregon’s offense did its part throughout, with Gabriel finishing completing 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His partner in the backfield, James, ran through a talented OSU front for most of the contest, finishing with 115 yards on 23 carries. The Ducks tallied three passing plays of 30 or more yards, a stat OSU was yet to allow thus far in 2024.

“They told us before the game they haven’t seen anyone like us,” Stewart said. “And yeah, we are who we are.”

Oregon has struggled in big games before, often with similar hallmarks such as failed 4th downs and special teams woes.

But this was different. This was catharsis. 

“Does anyone have a heart monitor,” Lanning said to open his press conference. “What an unbelievable atmosphere tonight,” Lanning said.

Lanning stayed true to his game, pulling the same levers he’s been committed to in his tenure at Oregon. 

Making sure Gabriel didn’t play with too much abandon, pump-faking a long pass before finding Stewart on a Ducks second-quarter field-goal drive? Check. Ensuring the 4th-down decisions didn’t come back to bite the Ducks even when they came up empty on 4th-and-2? Check. Managing around Traeshon Holden’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and other injuries? Check. Dialing up a second-quarter onside kick where Boyle expertly angled the ball off an OSU player? Check. 

“Oregon’s a winner,” Lanning said. 

Indeed it is. The Ducks outgained the Buckeyes by just 29 yards but committed five less penalties for 45 less yards. 

“How awesome is Oregon, how awesome is this place… it’s special for the people around this University to have days like this,” Lanning said. “I asked them before the game, ‘Give me everything you got’ and they did that tonight.

And now Oregon gets to revel in it, owning one of the biggest statement wins of this college football season and offering proof of Lanning’s growth in the process. What the Ducks accomplished on Saturday was not just winning a game, it was showing the evolution in what Lanning has built in Oregon football as a whole. 

“That was a great team we just played,” Lanning said. 

Oregon just has a better one.