Expectations were sky-high in Eugene heading into the 2024 college football season. The Oregon Ducks, toting a talented roster, came out sluggish this season. But last Saturday, the Ducks were more like themselves.
Oregon soundly defeated rival Oregon State in the latest edition of the Civil War. The Ducks were rarely bristled and ended with a 46-13 win over their in-state adversaries. Fox’s Joel Klatt was glad to see the Oregon team that many expected to see this year.
“This is the team that we all expected to see Week 1 against Idaho; they just arrived three weeks late,” Klatt said. He jokingly then said, “Welcome Oregon to the party.”
Klatt said that the Ducks came “fashionably late” to the party. He then turned his attention to quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who finally impressed against the Beavers.
“Dillon Gabriel against Oregon State was phenomenal,” Klatt said. “This is the quarterback that they all dreamed of. That they all thought they had, that they celebrated that they got in the offseason when he transferred to Oregon.”
The Fox analyst noted that there was a notable reshuffle on the Ducks‘ offensive line that “paid a lot of dividends” against Oregon State. He said he felt it was “really funny,” because of the way offensive line play goes at times.
Nevertheless, it was an impressive performance that Ducks fans were thrilled to finally see.
