Dillon Gabriel threw four touchdown passes and No. 1 Oregon outlasted No. 3 Penn State 45-37 on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship, giving the Ducks a first-round bye and almost certainly the top seed in the College Football Playoff (CFP).
The Ducks (13-0, No. 1 CFP) are the only unbeaten team in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) — barely. They almost blew a 15-point lead in the final four minutes, ending the Nittany Lions’ last gasp with Nikko Reed’s interception of Drew Allar’s pass with 1:54 left on a wild, wacky championship weekend.
Jordan James ran for two scores to help Oregon win their first league title since 2020 in the Pac-12, this one coming in their first year in the Big Ten. Tez Johnson was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player after catching 11 passes for 181 yards one score.
Photo: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / USA Today
“These guys can take it all the way if they continue to work and I can guarantee you they continue to work,” Ducks coach Dan Lanning said.
Penn State (11-2, No. 3 CFP) also are expected to make the first 12-team playoff field despite having their four-game winning streak snapped after failing to convert a 2-point conversion early in the fourth quarter — leaving them down 38-30. Oregon capped the ensuing a 75-yard drive with James’ 12-yard TD run to make it 45-30 with 7:28 to go.
However, Allar responded with a nifty 14-yard TD pass to Harrison Wallace III with 3:41 to play and Penn State forced a punt, giving Allar one more chance to tie it. Gabriel finished 22 of 32 with 283 yards, hooking up with Kenyon Sadiq twice in the first half when the teams combined for a championship-game record 55 points. The previous mark, 52, came in 2012.
Photo: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / USA Today
Sadiq had only two catches in the game — hurdling a defender on the way to his first score. James rushed 20 times for 87.
Allar was 20 of 39 with 236 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. Kaytron Allen had 14 carries for 124 yards and one score, and Nicolas Singleton carried 10 times for 101 yards and caught a TD pass. Tyler Warren had seven receptions for 64 yards.
Both teams allowed their highest point totals this season.
Photo: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / USA Today
Oregon extended the FBS’ longest active winning streak to 14 and can now focus on their next goal, winning a national championship.
Coach James Franklin’s Penn State had as much to prove as anybody on Saturday. The biggest complaint about Franklin-coached teams had been the offensive struggles in big games. This time, the Nittany Lions did score points and it should give them a big confidence boost.
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