The No. 2 Oregon Ducks cruised to a commanding 35-0 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, marking the school’s first road shutout win since 1992.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel delivered another stellar performance, completing 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Jordan James contributed with two rushing touchdowns. With this win, Oregon improves to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
Earlier this year, Oregon officially joined the Big Ten alongside USC, UCLA, and Washington, as conference realignment reshaped college athletics.
Fresh off their thrilling 32-31 win against new conference rival Ohio State last Saturday—their first victory over a top-two ranked team—there was no indication of a letdown as they took the field at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
"This place has a history of being tough for teams, especially after a big win like last week," UO coach Dan Lanning said, according to the team’s website. "I was proud of our guys for going out there and securing the victory."
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The Boilermakers have a reputation for upsetting higher-ranked teams, but they've struggled with a challenging 1-6 start to the season. Despite amassing 301 yards of offense, they couldn’t penetrate Oregon’s strong defense.
Purdue's defense struggled right from the start, allowing the Ducks to score touchdowns on their first three possessions. Running back Jordan James found the end zone twice by the end of the first quarter, and wide receiver Tez Johnson, who made seven catches for 66 yards, added a third touchdown early in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, running back Noah Whittington scored another touchdown, and in the fourth, Jay Harris rushed for a 12-yard TD. Purdue’s last chance to score was thwarted when cornerback Kam Alexander intercepted a pass from quarterback Ryan Browne with less than 30 seconds remaining.
As Oregon pursues its first national championship in program history, they have a chance to claim the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, depending on the outcome of the game between the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 1 Texas Longhorns on Saturday night.
In other action, the No. 13 BYU Cougars secured a thrilling 38-35 victory at home against unranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, scoring a touchdown in the final 10 seconds to remain unbeaten at 7-0.