3 quick takes from Oregon football's dominant win over No. 20 Illinois
Oregon football came, it saw, it conquered another ranked team in Eugene on Saturday afternoon and No. 20 Illinois really didn't stand much of a chance, losing to the Ducks 38-9.
It felt pretty clear from the beginning of the game that the Ducks were in a different class, taking a 35-3 lead into halftime before getting out-scored 6-3 in the second half to cruise to a blowout win. The Ducks were just far too good for Illinois, improving to 8-0 on the year.
The Ducks now head into the final month of the year with a good possibility of going 12-0 and earning a spot in the Big Ten title game (likely against Ohio State again).
But before we look ahead, let's look back and this weekend's win over Illinois with some quick thoughts.
1. Dan Lanning isn't letting this team overlook anyone
Following those forgettable first two weeks of the season against Idaho and Boise State, Oregon has dominated essentially every inferior opponent while also taking down the No. 2 team in the land.
It felt like Oregon was looking past Idaho and Boise State and Dan Lanning noticed and hasn't let the Ducks do that to any team since. He's seen the Ducks dominate Oregon State, UCLA, Michigan State, Purdue, and now Illinois. He's not letting this team look ahead to the tougher matchups on the schedule like a road matchup this week against Michigan.
This team is focused and it's showing how they come out of the gates each week -- a 35-3 halftime lead against the No. 20 team in the country is wildly impressive.
2. This team is incredibly balanced
We see it every week and it was on display yet again on Saturday: Oregon might be the most balanced team in the country.
The Ducks allowed just 293 yards on 67 plays against Illinois and recorded 527 of their own yards. They were up big and the game was essentially over at halftime and all Oregon needed to do in the final 30 minutes was maintain a big lead and make sure no one got hurt.
The offense put up some yards and could've probably had a 50-burger but it called off the horses in the second half and the defense was smothering and won the turnover battle 2-1.
This team is the definition of balanced.
3. Dillon Gabriel is the definition of reliable
While he did throw an interception for the fourth time in the past five games, Dillon Gabriel looks every bit the part of that superstar quarterback that was expected when he signed.
Gabriel is never too high or too low and he finished with another 70-percent completion game with 291 yards and three touchdowns. He is so reliable that you can almost expect him to get 250-plus every week with 2-3 touchdown passes.
In fact, he has had at least two touchdown passes each week and has less than 250 yards in just one game this season. He also hasn't completed fewer than 63 percent of his passes in a game this year. He's just the definition of reliable and consistent and that's what makes Oregon a true national title threat.