No. 2 Oregon Secures First Road Shutout in Over 30 Years with Dominant Victory Over Purdue

 No. 2 Oregon Secures First Road Shutout in Over 30 Years with Dominant Victory Over Purdue

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks cruised to a commanding 35-0 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, securing their first road shutout win since 1992.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel shined once again, completing 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Jordan James contributed two touchdowns. With this win, Oregon advances to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play.

Earlier this year, Oregon, along with USC, UCLA, and Washington, left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten as part of a major conference realignment in college athletics.

Riding the momentum of their thrilling 32-31 victory over Ohio State the previous week — their first-ever win over a top-two ranked opponent — the Ducks showed no signs of a post-game letdown as they dominated Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“This place has a reputation for being tough to play, especially coming off a big win like last week,” said Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, via the team’s website. “But I’m proud of how our guys handled it and came away with a win.”

Despite Purdue’s history of upsetting higher-ranked teams, the Boilermakers, now 1-6, couldn’t break through Oregon’s stout defense, even though they managed to rack up 301 yards of offense.

Purdue’s defense struggled from the start, allowing Oregon to score touchdowns on their first three drives. James found the end zone twice by the end of the first quarter, and wide receiver Tez Johnson, with seven catches for 66 yards, added another early in the second quarter.

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Running back Noah Whittington added a third-quarter touchdown, while Jay Harris capped off the scoring with a 12-yard run in the fourth. In the final moments of the game, Oregon’s Kam Alexander intercepted Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, preventing the Boilermakers from avoiding the shutout.

Oregon, aiming for its first national championship, could contend for the No. 1 spot in the AP poll depending on the outcome of the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs' matchup with No. 1 Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

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In other action, No. 13 BYU Cougars secured a dramatic 38-35 win over Oklahoma State, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final 10 seconds to remain undefeated at 7-0.