Gabriel throws for 2 TDs and runs for another, No. 1 Oregon routs rival Washington 49-21
EUGENE, Ore. -- — Winning is ‘addicting’ to Dillon Gabriel. And considering No. 1 Oregon is 12-0, the Ducks' quarterback is having a blast.Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Oregon closed out an undefeated regular season with a 49-21 victory over Washington on Saturday.
Oregon, also ranked atop the College Football Playoff rankings, had already locked up a spot in next weekend's Big Ten title game. The Ducks will face Penn State, which defeated Maryland 44-7 earlier Saturday. Ohio State's 13-10 loss to Michigan helped the Nittany Lions secure a berth.
“It's addicting," Gabriel said of the wins. ”It's my drug of choice, I say. It's an addicting feeling, I think. Just being around this program, you believe it, but when you actually do it, it's something really special."
Gabriel completed 16 of 23 passes for 209 yards, and Jordan James ran for 99 yards and two scores for the Ducks (12-0, 9-0 B10).
Oregon finished the regular season without loss for the first time since 2010, when it was undefeated heading into the BCS national championship game.
“Everybody can recognize that college football is hard, right? It's tough to be consistent and to be resilient, and win some tight games and have some battles throughout, I think that really shows the character of our team,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
Last season, Oregon's only regular-season loss was to the Huskies. Washington again defeated the Ducks in the Pac-12 championship game, and the Huskies went 13-0 before falling to Michigan in the national championship.
This season was markedly different for the Huskies (6-6, 4-5), who, like Oregon, were among the teams that bolted from the Pac-12 last summer.
“As I said to our team, now you have a chance to play in the postseason, and you earned that right — through 12 games, not through one,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. “When you win six, you get to play in a bowl game and that's what we're looking forward to doing.”
Washington started freshman Demond Williams Jr. at quarterback. Will Rogers had been the Huskies’ regular starter, but Williams was used situationally and helped Washington defeat UCLA to become bowl eligible.
Williams threw for 201 yards and a touchdown for Washington, which managed just 43 yards rushing against the Ducks.
Tez Johnson, Oregon's top receiver who has been out since a victory over Michigan on Nov. 2 because of a shoulder injury, started and connected with Gabriel on a 9-yard scoring pass in the third quarter that gave the Ducks a 35-14 lead.
Oregon scored on its first drive of the game on Noah Whittington's 9-yard run. The Huskies answered with Grady Gross' 26-yard field goal. Gross added added a 41-yarder early in the second quarter to pull within 7-6.
Gabriel hit Traeshon Holden for a 40-yard catch-and-run that was initially called a touchdown, but video review ruled Holden down at the 1. James barreled into the endzone to make it 14-6.
Jonah Coleman fumbled on Washington's next play, and Oregon took over on the Husky 19. Two plays later, James scored on his second 1-yard touchdown in the space of a minute.
Gabriel scored on a 4-yard keeper to make it 28-6, and the rout was on. Coleman scored on a 1-yard run for the Huskies to make it 28-14 at halftime.
Gabriel added a 16-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Ferguson, and Da'Jaun Riggs scored from a yard out for the Ducks in the final quarter. Giles Jackson caught a 28-yard TD pass from Williams with 1:43 to go.
Gabriel, who transfered from Oklahoma to Oregon for his sixth season of eligibility, said it's too soon to tell whether the Ducks are peaking.
“I will say, I think the mindset's right, the preparation and how we do things is right as well. But I think it's proving it every single week,” he said.
Oregon: Jordan Burch, who had missed the last game with an ankle injury, returned. He had 2 1/2 sacks and three tackles. Oregon tied a program record with 10 sacks.
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