In its biggest game of the season to date, the No. 3 Oregon football team will hope to build on its undefeated start when it takes on similarly unbeaten No. 2 Ohio State Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will play the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) in the first-ever top-3 matchup at Autzen, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m.
“(We’re) getting to play a great opponent this week,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Strong in all three phases as a team, when you watch them and you really don’t see a weakness, they’re really strong across the board, and this will be a great challenge for us. And I know our fans will be great again this weekend, so that’ll make that a fun atmosphere for us.”
Dillon Gabriel weaved his way for a 27-yard score on third-and-2 to put the Ducks up with 13:20 to play in the fourth quarter. It was the fifth lead change of the game.
The Ducks will start the fourth quarter with the ball at their own 40.
Dillon Gabriel threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal from the Ohio State 2 as a prime scoring opportunity slipped away for the Ducks. The Buckeyes get the ball back with 3:37 to play in the third quarter.
QB Will Howard scrambled to his right and found WR Jeremiah Smith in the end zone for the 6-yard touchdown with 9:27 to play in the third quarter as the Buckeyes flipped the lead for the fourth time today.
The Ducks lead at the break and will get the ball coming out of halftime.
Dillon Gabriel threw a perfect pass that Tez Johnson caught in stride and took into the end zone for the 48-yard score on third-and-9 with 1:17 remaining in the first half.
Will Howard threw a 15-yard TD pass to Emeka Egbuka as the Buckeyes went back on top with 3:53 to play in the first half.
The receiver was kicked out of the game after spitting into the face of Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun following a play away from the ball.
Atticus Sappington kicked the go-ahead 27-yard field with 10:09 to play in the first half.
Oregon freshman tight end Roger Saleapaga recovered a fumbled squib kick at the Ohio State 41. A few plays later, Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden was ejected from the game for spitting on an Ohio State player.
Dillon Gabriel threw a 10-yard TD pass to Evan Stewart at the 12:31 mark of the second quarter as the Ducks trimmed their lead. Stewart also had a 69-yard catch-and-run to initially get the ball inside the 10-yard line. Kenyon Sadiq couldn’t convert on the 2-point conversion attempt as he was a yard short of the goal line on a direct snap run.
Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins scored on a 1-yard run in the opening minute of the second quarter. The drive included two runs that totaled 70 yards by TreVeyon Henderson.
The Buckeyes have the ball at the Ducks’ 2-yard line when play resumes at the start of the second quarter.
Atticus Sappington missed on a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 47 seconds left in the first quarter as the Ducks turned the ball over at the Ohio State 28.
Ohio State was flagged for two false starts and one delay of game on its ensuing drive and was forced to punt when facing fourth-and-17 from its own 18-yard-line.
Two plays after the turnover, Jordan James scored on a 3-yard run with 5:51 to play in the first quarter. James opened the drive with a 25-yard run to the Buckeyes’ 3. The Ducks botched the point-after when the snap was dropped by the holder.
Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon met Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins head on at the line of scrimmage and ripped the ball out of his hands for the strip and fumble recovery. Oregon ball at the Buckeyes’ 28 with 6:39 to play in the first quarter.
The Ducks could only get 18 yards and one first down on six plays before their opening drive stalled at their own 43.
The Buckeyes scored on the opening possession of the game, as quarterback Will Howard got into the end zone on a 1-yard run. The drive included a fourth-down conversion by Ohio State on its own 44 when Howard ran for the needed yard.
The Ducks’ star defensive end is on crutches on the sideline, days after reportedly getting injured in practice. He was listed as questionable earlier Saturday.
The Ducks won the toss and deferred to the second half. The kickoff is minutes away.
Believe the hype.
The eyes of the college football world will be on Autzen Stadium for good reason as No. 3 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) takes on No. 2 Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) in a game between two programs with big goals and even bigger expectations.
The winner will reach the halfway point of the regular season as the frontrunner to earn both a place in the Big Ten Conference championship game and a top-four seed in the 12-team College Football Playoffs.
The loser could also still achieve those postseason landing spots, it just will presumably have no room for error over their ensuing six games.
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The star defensive end and Big Ten sacks leader reportedly suffered an injury in practice this week and will be a game-time decision against the No. 2 Buckeyes.
Burch has five sacks and has been an instrumental piece of the Ducks’ success on defense this season. Oregon has only allowed one touchdown in its last 10 quarters, and 16 points overall.
The eight players listed as out on the availability report Oregon submits to the Big Ten, none are a surprise.
Oregon vs. Ohio State will broadcast nationally on NBC in Week 7 of the 2024 college football season. Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge will call the game from the booth at Autzen Stadium, with Kathryn Tappen and Paul Burmeister reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include Peacock, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
ESPN’s Football Power Index, which measures a team’s strength and uses it to forecast game and season results, gives Ohio State a 64% chance to win Saturday.
Here’s what national experts have to say about the game.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday:
ODDS: Ohio State -3.5
O/U: 53.5
MONEYLINE: Oregon +130, Ohio State -155
Saturday’s forecast calls for a high of 74 with a temperature of about 73 at kickoff.
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