No. 3 Oregon struggles but prevails over Idaho 24-14

Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns in his Oregon debut, but the third-ranked Ducks struggled in their first game as Big Ten members before holding off resilient Idaho 24-14 on Saturday night.

While the victory wasn’t as decisive as expected, Oregon extended its nonconference home winning streak to a national-best 33 games. Oregon has won 20 straight home openers.

Oregon led 14-0 at the half, but Idaho narrowed the deficit on Jack Layne’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Jake Cox. After a field goal by Oregon, Layne rushed for a 4-yard TD to make it 17-14.

Gabriel found Tez Johnson with a 12-yard scoring pass midway through the final quarter to salvage the win.

The Takeaway

Idaho was picked in the preseason to finish third in the Big Sky after a 9-4 season that included a run to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The Vandals’ defense appears to again be a strength. Last season, the Vandals were ranked 14th nationally among FCS teams in allowing opponents only 306.8 total offensive yards. All four of Idaho’s starting defensive lineman returned for this season.

Oregon, with its highest preseason ranking since 2014, was a 44 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM College Football Odds — but the Ducks looked rusty against the Vandals. Last season, Oregon finished 12-2, getting close to the playoff before losing to rival Washington in the final Pac-12 championship game. Oregon capped the season by beating Liberty 45-6 in the Fiesta Bowl.

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Up Next

Idaho: Starts the season with four of its first five games on the road. Following the trip to Eugene, the Vandals visit Wyoming next Saturday.

Oregon: Hosts Boise State next Saturday before visiting in-state rival Oregon State, one of two remaining teams in the Pac-12 after the conference collapsed in realignment.