Oregon Ducks vs. Purdue Boilermakers Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 18th 2024


Preview and Prediction
Following their biggest victory in over two years under head coach Dan Lanning, the No. 2 Oregon Ducks have a shortened week to prepare for their upcoming game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana on Friday night.
The main focus for the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) will be to avoid any drop in performance after their thrilling win against then-No. 2 Ohio State last Saturday. This will also be their first long-distance trip as a Big Ten team, traveling from the Pacific Northwest to Indiana.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week in the Big Ten, led the Ducks to their highest-ranked home victory in school history. Gabriel had an impressive performance, completing 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Gabriel has consistently thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his first six games with the Ducks and currently holds the second-highest completion rate in the nation at 76.1 percent.
With a strong supporting cast at the skill positions, an impenetrable offensive line, and a deep and athletic defense, the Ducks were able to defeat powerhouse Ohio State. Although they were without star defensive lineman Jordan Burch due to injury, it is expected that he will return at some point this season.
When asked about the challenge of playing on a Friday, Coach Lanning stated, "I don't think it's hard for us to get back and get to work, but you do have to squeeze a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. And that's the challenge of making sure you're still really consistent and thorough with what matters, not putting too much on your players in a short window."
This will be the second Friday game for the Ducks this season, with their first being a 31-10 victory over Michigan State on October 4th.
Purdue (1-5, 0-3) comes into this game on a five-game losing streak, but their offense showed signs of life in a close 50-49 overtime loss to then-No. 23 Illinois last Saturday. Despite being down by 24 points in the second half, the Boilermakers were able to score two touchdowns in the final five minutes to take a 43-40 lead before heading into overtime.
Coach Ryan Walters announced that quarterback Ryan Browne, who made his first collegiate start against Illinois, will be starting again this week against Oregon. Browne had an impressive performance, throwing for 297 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 118 yards.
Walters also expressed his frustration with comments he heard on TV last week about his team giving up on the season. He addressed this with his players before the Illinois game, stating, "I just talked to them about, I don't care what you're doing in life, where you're at, what your occupation is. As a man, don't ever let the perception be that you quit when things got tough or that you quit when adversity hits. In life, as in football, adversity is guaranteed. At the bare minimum it should be that you fight."
The last time the Ducks and Boilermakers faced off was in 2009, with the Ducks coming out on top with a 38-36 victory at home, giving them a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.


Oregon Ducks vs. Purdue Boilermakers Recap OCT 18TH 2024
Second-ranked Oregon scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and cruised to a 35-0 win over Purdue in a Big Ten matchup at West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday night.
Oregon (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten) got a pair of first-half touchdown runs from Jordan James. His first score was set up by a 49-yard completion from quarterback Dillon Gabriel to wide receiver Evan Stewart, a pinpoint throw into tight coverage.
Stewart caught four passes for 96 yards.
Gabriel went 21-of-25 passing for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception. He played well into the fourth quarter before exiting the game prior to Oregon's final possession.
That was after backup running back Jay Harris ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 8:13 to play to seal the Ducks' win.
Gabriel, who has thrown for multiple touchdowns in each of his first seven games after he transferred from Oklahoma, threw scoring passes to Tez Johnson early in the second quarter and Noah Whittington early in the fourth.
Purdue (1-6, 0-4) moved into field-goal range against Oregon's reserves in the fourth quarter, but the Boilermakers turned the ball over on downs with 4:54 to play.
Johnson had seven catches for 66 yards coming off a big game against Ohio State last week, and the touchdown was his seventh this season.
Purdue's Ryan Browne was 9-for-19 passing for 93 yards and added 48 rushing yards. Running back Reggie Love III had 93 yards on 11 carries in the Boilermakers' sixth straight loss.
Kam Alexander sealed the shutout with an interception with 21 seconds to play.
Oregon had 421 yards of total offense, despite not having tight end Terrance Ferguson due to illness. The Ducks were also without injured defensive lineman Jordan Burch (knee), who many feel is their best defensive player.
Still, the Ducks limited the Boilermakers to 4 of 12 on third downs and 0 of 3 on fourth downs. Oregon finished with 10 tackles for loss.