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.

PREDICTION

Oregon Ducks

Purdue Boilermakers