A 'surreal' victory': Oregon football celebrates its Big Ten championship title

A ‘surreal’ victory’: Oregon football celebrates its Big Ten championship title

Posted by Admin December 8, 2024 Football

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INDIANAPOLIS – In the cavernous lower level of Lucas Oil Stadium, finding the Oregon locker room after the conclusion of the Big Ten Championship was a simple task.

All you had to do was follow the sound of music and the scent of cigar smoke.

The top-ranked Ducks’ undefeated season remains intact, as does their path to the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff and a spot in the Rose Bowl following a thrilling 45-37 victory against No. 3 Penn State Saturday night in front of a crowd of 67,469.

Afterwards, they celebrated like winners.

“It’s super exciting in the locker room and there’s a lot of guys who’ve never won a championship and there’s some that have but we’ve got a special group of people together and we’ve been on an incredible run,” tight end Terrance Ferguson said. “We’re just celebrating the moment and enjoying each other.”

It was a wild game out on the field, with plenty of highlights to go around, including a pair of memorable bookend plays.

It began when tight end Kenyon Sadiq hurdled a defender on his way to the end zone on the Ducks’ opening drive.

“It’s surreal,” Sadiq said. “Those are the moments you dream of, going out there and making a play like that is everything. You see the guy and it’s either you’re going around him or over him and I just chose to go over.”

Cornerback Nikko Reed’s acrobatic interception with less than two minutes to play then sealed Oregon’s 13th win of the season.

Reed’s pick came on a 40-yard pass down the sideline by Penn State (11-2) quarterback Drew Allar that Reed was able to reach back and grab before falling on his backside at the Oregon 16-yard line.

“I got scored on previously and everyone was like we need a turnover to win the game, and they happened to throw it to me again and it wasn’t the thing that they wanted,” Reed said. “You don’t know when your time is coming and you gotta meet the opportunity when it comes.”

That first score by Sadiq put the Ducks up 7-0 and it was a lead they would never reliquinsh.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 22-for-32 passing for 283 yards and four touchdowns. The senior had no turnovers, was sacked just once and beyond the scoring throws, he also completed a 20-yard pass to Ferguson on fourth-and-2 midway through the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown run by Jordan James that gave the Ducks a 45-30 advantage with 7:31 to play.

“You live for these moments,” Gabriel said. “In a lifetime of being a kid and throwing in the front yard or in the street and you dream of these moments and want to be in them. … You just want to represent them the right way. And I felt like we did. I look at this and I look at just a bunch of guys with something to prove and an edge to them that wants to be great.”

Wide receiver Tez Johnson also had a monster game with 11 catches for 181 yards and a 48-yard touchdown on a pass he caught at the Nittany Lions’ 28 and raced past defenders to score in the third quarter.

Johnson was named the player of the game.

“He’s special,” Gabriel said. “He knows it. I think when you’re around a talented individual, you appreciate it because just the person he is. He’s electric, and when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s going to make a play.”

The victory was the Ducks’ second of the season against a team ranked in the top 3. And just like their 32-31 victory against then-No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12, Saturday’s win came down to the very end.

That was of little surprise to coach Dan Lanning.

“The Big Ten’s tough,” he said. “I think tonight’s game is a great example of that. This is a tough league. It’s hard to go out there and win. And to be able to do what our guys did tonight, I’m really proud of their effort, to give just a little bit extra. I thought everybody gave a little extra tonight, and that showed up.”

The win came one year after Oregon lost by three points to Washington in the Pac-12 championship – a loss that stuck with many of the veterans on the team.

“Man, it was surreal to watch the confetti drop,” Ferguson said. “I just sat there and took in the moment and felt super blessed.”

But, Ferguson added, “There’s more to come for us.”

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG