No. 1 Oregon is rolling in its Big Ten matchup with No. 20 Illinois, leading 35–3 at halftime.
As could be expected with a score like that, Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is putting up big numbers. After two quarters of play, he has 246 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-20 passing. With those three touchdown throws, he’s moved into second place on the NCAA all-time list.
Dillon Gabriel moves past Kellen Moore for the second-most TD passes in NCAA history (143). Only trails Case Keenum. Ducks up huge on Illinois
— Matt Baker (@MattBakerCFB) October 26, 2024
Gabriel’s first TD pass came on Oregon’s opening possession, completing a nine-play, 83-yard drive by hitting Tez Johnson for a 31-yard score.
On the Ducks’ next series, Gabriel found Justius Lowe deep down the middle for a 34-yard TD.
And just before halftime, Noah Whittington caught a two-yard pass from Gabriel for another Oregon touchdown. Gabriel also ran for a score in the first half, putting the Ducks up 21–3.
Also notable is Gabriel completing 16-of-20 passes improved his season completing percentage to 77.23% That puts him third behind fellow Oregon OB Bo Nix‘s 77.45% last season and Mac Jones’ 77.43% for Alabama in 2020.
Gabriel’s third touchdown pass moved him past Boise State‘s Kellen Moore for second on the NCAA’s all-time TD pass list with 143. The only man in front of Gabriel now is Case Keenum, who threw 155 TD passes in five seasons at Houston.
He now has 18 touchdown passes in his lone season at Oregon, along with 55 in his two years at Oklahoma and 70 during three seasons at UCF.
Can Gabriel finish on top? He has one half remaining versus Illinois. Then Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin and Washington are left on Oregon’s 2024 regular-season schedule. After that, a likely College Football Playoff run awaits.