No. 7 Oregon Survives 37-34 Thriller vs. Boise State

Looking for a bounce-back after a rough showing against Idaho last weekend, Oregon fans got all they could’ve asked for. 

1Q: Oregon received the first-half kickoff and Dillon Gabriel was promptly sacked on the Ducks’ first second-down attempt before the Ducks punted on a short fourth down. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty took an outside handoff inside the 25-yard line of Oregon on his second carry of the outing.

An incomplete pass to the end zone set up a Broncos field goal attempt which was converted with relative ease. After a stalled Oregon drive, Boise State set up at its own 20 with 7:16 left in the first quarter and were forced into a three-and-out punt.

A towering deep ball from Gabriel found wide receiver Evan Stewart in stride to set the Ducks up with a first and goal at the five-yard line, which Gabriel punched in after a short gain from running back Noah Whittington. Following the Oregon kickoff, Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen hit two Boise State receivers in the intermediate game for solid gains.

Jeanty pushed the pile forward to convert the Broncos to the edge of the red zone before a roughing the passer call went against Oregon and took Boise State to the 10-yard line to wrap up the first quarter at 7-3 Oregon.

Q2: Jeanty punched in a short touchdown off the right side of the offensive line to make it 10-7 Boise State at the 14:20-mark of the second quarter. Two more sacks on Gabriel forced Oregon into another punting situation at its own 31-yard line and set the Broncos up at their own 20.

Strong run defense by linebacker Devon Jackson brought Jeanty down a yard deep in the backfield to set up a 3rd & 11 which Boise State was unable to convert. Receiver Tez Johnson broke a nice punt return that set Oregon’s offense up at the Boise State 34-yard line.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Gabriel hit Stewart in stride again for a second touchdown connection between the two in the first half. This made it 14-10 and gave Oregon a needed shot of momentum with 9:28 remaining in the quarter.

A stalled Boise State drive set the Ducks up with possession at their own 28-yard line where back-to-back penalties forced Oregon into a nearly unconvertable 2nd & 27 before Gabriel was sacked back to the Oregon 4-yard line and the Ducks punted. Boise State took over at the Oregon 30-yard line and made a quick-strike conversion to set themselves up at the 17-yard line.

An easy pitch and catch from Madsen made it 17-14 with 4:51 left in the half, fully sapping what momentum the Ducks had. Following the kickoff, Jordan James broke a nice run of 11 yards for the first good run of the quarter for Oregon.

Gabriel and Stewart both took tough hits on a 2nd & 6 to set up a third-down that Oregon was unable to convert, and subsequently punted back to the Broncos. A two-minute drill for Boise State netted a field goal and the Broncos carried a 20-14 lead into halftime, to the surprise of the vast majority of Ducks fans.

3Q: A tense Autzen Stadium crowd watched Boise State receive the second-half kickoff and start the third quarter with an opportunity to take a two-score lead. After a third-down conversion extended the beginning of the drive, Oregon forced a Madsen incompletion and punt to take over at its own 12-yard line.

Boise State safety Alexander Teubner was flagged for a targeting call on Gabriel and was subsequently ejected at 11:00 of the third quarter. On the next play, James broke his best run of the night but had it called back for holding.

After a couple of short runs, Gabriel found receiver Traeshon Holden on a slant route and he broke past the last line of Boise State defense to score on Oregon’s second-longest play of the night. On the following play, kicker Atticus Sappington missed the PAT off the upright to keep the game locked at 20.

A quick three-and-out gave the Ducks the ball back at the four-yard line after Johnson mishandled a line-drive punt, leading to a strong 10-yard run for Jordan James around the edge. Oregon’s next couple of plays stalled, including a poorly timed 3rd & 13 run that was not converted and forced the Ducks into a punting situation.

Boise State’s offense stalled and they were forced to punt to Johnson, who made the play of the game on a long return touchdown that handed Oregon all the momentum it could’ve wanted. Sappington’s kickoff sailed out of bounds, leading to strong field position for the Broncos to start their drive at 3:57 of the third.

After a couple of third down conversions, Boise State stalled out and attempted a 54-yard field goal that came up low and left. A short run from the Ducks took the game into the fourth quarter with Oregon holding a 27-20 lead and seemingly all of the momentum.

4Q: Dillon Gabriel took off on a rare scramble to convert for a first down before a fumble from tight end Patrick Herbert cancelled out the momentum Oregon had accumulated over the last 15 minutes of action. Jeanty took a carry 70 yards to the house on Boise State’s first play of the drive and tied the game at 27-all with 13:09 left in the game.

After a decent first-down carry from Whittington, a brutal blunder took place as essentially no one on the Ducks’ offense was prepared for a snap that Gabriel ended up scrambling with and fumbling back to the Broncos, giving them possession just outside the Oregon red zone. Not long after, a second-down carry for Jeanty got the Broncos in the end zone, bringing them back on top 34-27 with 10:15 left in the game.

Not two plays later, Whittington returned the Boise State kickoff all the way for a touchdown, drawing the game even at 34 with 9:59 to go. It wasn’t without intrigue as a review was held to confirm that Whittington maintained possession through the goal line, but the touchdown was confirmed.

The Broncos’ next drive stalled out after defensive lineman Jordan Burch brought Madsen down behind the line on a third and long. Oregon’s next drive stalled as well as Gabriel was unable to sync up on a couple of deep targets to receivers. 

After Boise State punted back to the Ducks, Oregon went on a steady drive down the field to set themselves up in field goal territory. Sappington had a great redemption moment to close the game as he knocked down the 25-yard game-winning field goal to secure a thrilling 37-34 win for the Ducks against Boise State.