Dillon Gabriel reacts to passing Kellen Moore for No. 2 on FBS career passing touchdowns leaders list

Dillon Gabriel continued to climb in the record books Saturday as he led Oregon to a dominant 38-9 win against Illinois. The Ducks quarterback finished the day with three passing touchdowns, bringing his career total to 143 to pass former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore for the No. 2 spot in FBS history.

Gabriel looked efficient from the get go, throwing for all three of his TDs in the first half while also running in another score. He finished 18-of-26 passing for 291 yards along with an interception, but gave more credit to his teammates than himself for the impressive accomplishment in his postgame interview with CBS.

“Just not a big individual accolades guy,” he said. “I’m trying to get some wins. I think that’s the most important thing. I’ve got a bunch of guys who put a lot of time and effort into it, so I’m blessed to be a part of it.”

Gabriel is on the third team and in the sixth season of his college career. He began at UCF in 2019 and spent three years there before transferring to Oklahoma. The longevity is certainly something that helped him climb up the list, as he was one of the players who benefitted from an extra year of eligibility in the 2020 COVID season.

Still, the numbers that Gabriel has consistently put up every football season have been nothing short of impressive. He is now only 13 more touchdown passes away from passing former Houston quarterback Case Keenum (155) for the all-time lead.

Gabriel spread the ball around fairly evenly as each of his passing touchdowns went to different receivers. That is something he made sure to make note of during his interview as well.

“It felt really good,” he said. “Waking up, I kind of just felt it today with the vibe around the guys. How everyone played and how we came together, that connection is all three phases. So I’m proud of everyone.”

More than the individual accolades, however, Dillon Gabriel is happy to have led Oregon to an 8-0 record to this point. The Ducks will look to continue rolling when they face Michigan at 3:30 p.m. ET next Saturday.