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3 quick thoughts from Oregon football's dominant win over Purdue

By Connor Muldowney

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass to warm up before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass to warm up before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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Warning of potential Spoilermakers action, I expected to see Purdue put up at least a little fight at home on Friday night but Oregon football had no problem dismantling the Boilermakers on their own turf.

The Ducks raced out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and then coasted in the second half with a 35-0 win and handed Tosh Lupoi his first shutout of the season as defensive coordinator.

It feels like the Ducks are playing some elite football right now and while the offense could've been slightly better on Friday night, the defense more than made up for it.

What'd we learn from the Ducks' 35-0 win?

1. The secondary made a statement

Oregon's secondary looked really good on Friday night after playing one of the best receiving corps in the country last week and holding the Buckeyes to 31 points.

The Ducks only allowed 93 passing yards and no touchdowns while picking off a pass and holding Ryan Browne to under 50 percent completions. Jabbar Muhammad, Brandon Johnson, and Kam Alexander all played well as the Ducks really shut down that Purdue passing attack.

It's good to see this unit really become a strength.

2. Evan Stewart is gaining momentum

After hit best game as a Duck against Ohio State, Oregon receiver and Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart had yet another solid performance, catching four passes for 96 tards on Friday.

So now, over the past two games, Stewart has 11 catches for 245 yards and a touchdown and it feels like he's just scratching the surface. If he can mold into that No. 2 receiver behind Tez Johnson or even become a 1B to his 1A, there won't be a single team that will slow this offense down.

3. Run game was a bit of a letdown

Seeing the run game struggle a little bit on Friday was disappointing not just because Jordan James is one of the best backs in the country, but rather because Purdue has one of the worst run defenses in college football, ranking in the 130 range.

Rushing for just 131 yards and three touchdowns on 3.7 yards per carry is disappointing against arguably the Big Ten's worst team and easily the worst run defense.

That has to be cleaned up moving forward.

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