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Oregon Ducks Football: Gabriel’s Biggest Strength

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Our Oregon Ducks football program showed out this weekend. In one of the best games in team history, this back-and-forth bout lived up to the billing. The Buckeyes were swinging for 60 minutes, but the Ducks swung just a little bit harder and won Dan Lanning’s biggest win in his short tenure at Oregon so far. As for the team’s shining stars, ...

 
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Our Oregon Ducks football program showed out this weekend. In one of the best games in team history, this back-and-forth bout lived up to the billing.
 
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Good points Alex, as he was unbelievably cool under pressure.  I still cannot believe how accurate he was on the Bird-Bombs, and the touchdowns. Neither could the Buckeyes!

 

Evan Stewart catches a TD_Screenshot from NBC Sports Video.jpg

 

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Mr. FishDuck

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There may be better QBs in college football but there are no QBs who are more battle tested and proven, under pressure, than DG. He is a big game QB and plays better when the pressure is on.  There is no one that I would trust more with the game on the line and the ball in his hands.

 

   2023:  Texas

   2024:  Ohio State

   2024:  Next???

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DG looked unflappable out there. The confidence needed to make that throw to Evan in the corner says it all. You can tell that he has seen it all and there really isn't much that will throw him off his game.

 

I've come to accept the fact that after watching him play for 5 years, this is what he does. He is a ball player. He has the edge to him needed to pull out these victories even when adversity strikes.

 

Not only was he tactical with his deep balls (both deep balls to Tez and Evan), his legs make him even more dangerous. I knew he had wheels, but he is extremely shifty and has a good lateral burst. 

 

If DG8 continues to improve on this performance, which I have every reason to believe he will, my golly do we have something on our hands. Major kudos to our WR room for creating separation against the likes of Downs and Burke. 

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Great article, Alex. Gabriel is Joe Montana, no QB was bigger in the biggest games, It started with, "The Catch" and ended up, 4-0 in Super Bowls. The 49ers weren't behind very often, but when they were none of them were worried. I'm sure the Ducks felt that way against Ohio State.

 

Montana got picked off. I'm sure he missed some wide open receivers; Jerry Rice, John Taylor, but when he needed to make the play, he hit the pass. No huddles anymore, but if they did, Gabriel would point out John Candy too. 

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Alex you make some great points in your article. DG was poised under pressure, accurate and led the offense with confidence. He made the smart reads and timely decisions he should given his experience.

 

He was cool under pressure as Charles mentioned and a Big game QB as OregonDucks pointed out. However, this Duck fan needs DG to perform like this in average games against lesser opponents.

 

Going 12-0 or even 11-1 depends on DG bringing his A Plus Game, every game the rest of the season. If he does then the BIG title is with OBD's reach.

 

None of this would have been possible for DG without the improvement and play of the O Line. The O Line play since the 2nd half of the BSU game keeps getting better and make all these wins possible. 

 

The real hero of this game was the BIG referee who had the courage to call offensive pass interference. BIG refs swallow that whistle on PI. Not just in our games, ask usc. 2 non PI calls on the final drive saved PSU's undefeated season. So thank you to that ref.

 

Another hero is Chip Kelly. Once the Buckeyes got that ball inside the Ducks 30 yard line and 1st down, he could have run the ball for position 3 times. Gained a few yards, ran the clock out, used their last time out and kicked the winning field goal. That play call allowed the PI call that pushed them back. The rest is history.

 

GO DUCKS....Play like every game is a BIG TIME GAME.....lets handle Purdue......

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It was DG's best game as a Duck.

And what a game to bring it!

"Money" players always bring their best to the biggest games. 

His play was a great response to the questions about his redzone pics.

He definitely earned a game ball.

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No doubt this is his team now.  The whole team has taken a while to develop chemistry, but they certainly have found their stride.  Great teams peak at the right time and granted there's still a tough road ahead, but this team was tasked with probably the biggest game in Autzen history and they met the call.

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DG is definitely a "baller", which becomes all the more evident the bigger the game. 

 

Does not seem that he believes there is NO window he can hit a receiver through and not afraid to push that.  (ie: three redzone INT the previous two games.)

 

Knows how to use his "pocket" efficiently and strategically to make the most out of what the defense is showing/giving him on any particular play.

 

When he is in run mode has great field vision and the ability to make players miss in the open field.

 

A Refusal, by nature, to allow his team to lose.  Reminds me a whole lot of another Oregon QB from back in the day,  Jeremiah Massolli.

 

Problem DG has, and will be the focus for defensive coordinators the rest of the season, is that he is only 5'10" in a league with some Very Large men on the defensive lines. A pass being batted down, or "missing" a streaking wide open receiver on a critical, gotta have it, fourth down conversion in a must have the win game, would be devastating.

 

There is Nothing DG can control about that but I trust our coaches have noticed this... potential weakness...in our offensive attack and will make the appropriate gameplans to minimize the vulnerability.

 

I am definitely onboard riding DG to our first B1G championship....and maybe a whole lot more.

 

🦆🏈🪨's

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On 10/14/2024 at 5:16 PM, noDucknewby said:

No doubt this is his team now.  The whole team has taken a while to develop chemistry, but they certainly have found their stride.  Great teams peak at the right time and granted there's still a tough road ahead, but this team was tasked with probably the biggest game in Autzen history and they met the call.

 

Playing those close games early in the season, may have paid dividends in the Ohio State game and going forward. The team is battle tested and has the confidence that they can win a close game.  Hopefully, we won't need to the rest of the season (for my heart's sake).

 

Can you say the same about Texas?

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Not sure I would use fearless, I would say he fears losing, hates losing and that is what drives him. Some just love to play and win and are very talented qb's.  Others have that edge that allows them to win big games, GB has that.

 

I know a little about tennis and both Agassi and Jimmy Connors we afraid to lose. They didn't so much love the game they just hated to lose. GB plays the game like those two did, intense and relentless.

 

The tosu qb is the latter, a talented qb who just love to play the game. This is why he was lost at the end of the game. Crunch time comes and he has nothing, no fight. It isn't life or death, his brain doesn't go into hyper drive. He didn't fire up everyone around him.

 

I would compare GB to Masoli all day. Both guys were under appreciated, but knew how to win. My bet is the whole team is on GB's side as we saw as he went down to defend Ferguson. 

 

I think GB might go on to the same type of career. Maybe a look at the NFL, but at his size the CFL is where he would shine.  

 

I also think GB knows how to win big games. I am excited to see him get on the biggest of stages. I think he will keep on shining!

 

   

 

 

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Coach Lanning on Dillion Gabriel in Ohio State game: “Every time I went and looked in his eyes tonight, I saw a guy who was composed and ready for his next moment. He played really, really well tonight in some really big moments.”

 

 

 

BOLAVIP.COM

Following the historic victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes last Saturday in the NCAAF, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning shared his thoughts on QB Dillon Gabriel.

 

 

 

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DG got skills.   The coaches just need to call plays to his strengths, like these long throws and QB runs.   They also need to avoid calling plays that expose his weakness, namely height.  So maybe no short throws near the goal line because it's harder to clear the tall D line players and can be challenging to see the whole field.

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There once was “Cool Hand Luke”, but the Ducks now have “Cool-headed Gabriel”.

 

The calm in the midst of the storm.

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