The lights shone brightly over Autzen Stadium on Friday night as the undefeated Oregon Ducks hosted the Michigan State Spartans in their first-ever Big Ten home matchup. The atmosphere was electric, setting the stage for a thrilling contest.
Oregon's start was shaky, as it opened the game with a quick three-and-out. Michigan State seized the opportunity, orchestrating a 65-yard drive that brought it to the 1-yard line. However, the Ducks' defense rose to the occasion, forcing quarterback Aidan Chiles to fumble just inches from the goal line, and Oregon recovered.
Despite the defensive heroics, the Ducks’ offense struggled once again. On their next drive, quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw a red zone interception to Malik Spencer, throwing away the scoring opportunity. Oregon’s defense remained dominant, and although Gabriel took a hard hit on the following drive that caused him to sit out a play, he was able to regroup and finally put Oregon on the board with a rushing touchdown late in the first quarter, giving the Ducks a 7-0 lead.
Michigan State's offense faltered once again, allowing Gabriel to regain possession. Oregon moved the ball 73 yards downfield, but Gabriel faced another setback, throwing his second red zone interception — this time to Charles Brantley.
The Ducks’ defense continued to dominate, forcing another quick punt from the Spartans, and on Oregon’s next drive, running back Jordan James took charge. The Ducks called seven consecutive run plays, culminating in a touchdown by James that extended Oregon's lead to 14-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
Michigan State managed to advance a few times on their subsequent drive, but back-to-back sacks from Matayo Uiagalelei and Jordan Burch halted the Spartans' momentum, forcing another punt. In a well-executed final drive of the half, Oregon used a mix of run and pass plays to march 73 yards, ending with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Evan Stewart, leaving the score at 21-0 at halftime.
James was instrumental in Oregon's first-half success, setting a career-high in rushing yards in the first half alone with an impressive 151 yards.
As the second half began, Michigan State aimed to regroup, moving the chains effectively. However, it was once again thwarted by a big sack from Burch. Oregon capitalized on this momentum, advancing on its following drive into field goal range, where kicker Andrew Boyle nailed a 50-yarder to extend the lead to 24-0.
The Spartans punted for the sixth straight time in a row, and Oregon continued their dominance with a long, methodical drive that chewed up 8:07 of the clock. Gabriel capped this drive with a short touchdown pass to Tez Johnson on fourth down, bringing the score to 31-0 early in the fourth quarter—the Ducks' largest lead of the night.
Michigan State finally found their rhythm on their next drive, as Chiles connected on multiple first downs, marching 74 yards to the one-yard line. Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams punched it in for the Spartans’ first points of the game, making it 31-7.
Oregon had a brief drive before Michigan State regained possession, advancing into field goal range. Kicker Jonathan Kim converted a 42-yarder, closing the gap to 31-10 late in the fourth quarter. Oregon then kneeled out the remainder of the game to secure the win.
Despite a slow start with two red zone interceptions, Gabriel finished strong, completing 20 of 32 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
Gabriel talked about his early mistakes in the game, saying, “Just was forcing things early, and things that need to be corrected, but we talk about playing the next play and having to respond. You have to keep swinging, so that’s what I kept doing.”
James was the standout performer, racking up 170 total yards and a touchdown. On defense, Burch shone with 2.5 sacks and four total tackles. Head Coach Dan Lanning was especially pleased with Burch’s performance, saying, “He’s playing with great violence. He’s the kind of person that shouldn’t be blocked one-on-one.”
Looking ahead, the Ducks will prepare for a monumental showdown against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes next Saturday, a matchup anticipated to be the highlight of Oregon’s regular season.