The 2024 season is full of firsts for Oregon football. On Friday, Autzen Stadium will host its inaugural Big Ten matchup.

The No. 6 ranked Ducks (4-0, 1-0 B1G) enter the weekend coming off a dominant 34-13 victory at UCLA. Michigan State (3-2, 0-1 B1G) — whom Oregon will meet for the first time since 2018 — is in the midst of a two-game losing streak.

The Ducks came out of the bye-week looking refreshed last Saturday versus the Bruins. Oregon endured a bumpy start to the season with narrow wins against Idaho and Boise State. It has responded with two convincing victories since it last played at Autzen.

The trinity of Ducks’ quarterback Dillon Gabriel, wide receiver Tez Johnson and running back Jordan James are proving to be one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the nation. Gabriel threw three touchdowns on 278 yards in the most recent game. Johnson made 11 receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while James ran for one score on 121 yards on the ground.

The Spartans’ offense offers a stark contrast to Oregon’s. Michigan State’s 38-7 loss to No. 3 Ohio State last weekend was in part due to three turnovers. The Spartans have now turned the ball over 13 times in five games this season.

Michigan State had the potential to be within striking distance of the powerhouse Buckeyes at the half last weekend. A fumble and a dropped interception changed the narrative. 

“We’re gonna compete with just about anybody we line up with if we clean [the turnovers] up,” head coach Jonathan Smith said to the media after last Saturday’s loss. “We’re gonna be in every ball game with a chance to win it if we can clean up some of the turnover piece and get off the field on third down.”

Spartans’ quarterback Aidan Chiles and the offense have struggled in second halves throughout the season. Michigan State only has six second-half points in the last two games combined.

“Those point totals, to be honest, is not where we want it to be,” Smith said. “Work the process. We got a short week here. We’ll take a look at this film and look at ways we can improve but we’ve gotta be able to score more than that.”

The Ducks’ defense intercepted the ball twice and forced two fumbles through four games. They’ll look to continue to put pressure on the Michigan State offense. 

Oregon enters the game off a defensive performance that had head coach Dan Lanning full of praise. Defensive end Jordan Burch set the tone with two solo tackles and a sack.

“I thought the defense played their best game yet,” Lanning said after the win.

The Ducks rose two spots in the Associated Press Poll this week. A victory against Michigan State will likely keep Oregon in a favorable position in the polls and confident as it heads into a potential top-10 matchup against Ohio State next weekend.

The Ducks and the Spartans will meet for the eighth time. The home team has won every time with Oregon’s last win in Eugene being in 2014.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Autzen Stadium on Friday.

A September conference matchup against a Big Ten program was uncharted territory for No. 11 Oregon (9-1, 1-0).

But the Ducks handled the matchup against Illinois (8-3, 0-1) with poise and efficiency from their attack to claim the sweep.

“For us, it’s really about trying to get better every day,” Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer said. “We have a lot of things that we need to continue to be more consistent no matter who we play. You know, it really is about us.” 

The Ducks conceded the first two points of the match but found their groove with a 3-0 run — which included two points off the block.

Set 1 was messy with a combined nine service errors. Oregon gained some separation with 14 early kills coming from five different players.

Michelle Ohwobete slapped the volleyball to the hardwood to break the tie at 15-14. After that, the Ducks had all the confidence and momentum to carry them to a 25-21 set win.

The Ohwobete point was a crucial moment in delivering the Ducks their ninth-straight victory — each win coming after their loss in the first match of the season.

“It takes us to change each other and hold each other accountable, and that starts in practice,” defensive specialist Daley McClellan said. “I think both sides have been really competitive in practice lately and I think that has just upped our bar, just so much more.”

The Illini took over in the second set. Oregon had seven attack errors in the second game, following a first set with only three.

“They hit the ball very hard and they’re physical blockers. They served very aggressive,” Ulmer said. “We knew that going in and that’s something we’ve been trying to prepare for but that’s something we’re gonna have to handle better than we did in the second set.”

Once again, it was an Ohwobete kill in a critical moment to even the score. The Ducks played clean for the rest of the second to clinch the set 25-23.

“The big thing for us lately has been adjusting super quickly, and I think we did a good job,” McClellan said. “It took us a little bit in the second set to do that, but then once we figured it out, we were solid on that.”

Illinois appeared to have run out of gas in the final set. Oregon opened with a dominant 7-1 run, partially due to the performances of Mimi Colyer and Onye Ofoegbu.

The duo both had four blocks, while Colyer led the team with 12 kills. Ohwobete added seven kills and setter Cristin Cline assisted on 30 plays.

Perfectly placed attacks caused the Illini to consistently scramble in the third set. Ofoegbu slammed the ball for the final time to give the Ducks the 25-13 set and the match.

“I can see better habits forming for us each and every week when we get out to competition,” Ulmer said about the team’s standard. “It tells me we’re doing some things right. Again, we have a long way to go with that, but I think we’re on a good path.”

The Ducks will return to Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday to face off against Indiana (7-3). Oregon will look to secure its first double-digit winning streak since 2022 with the first serve set for 5:30 p.m.

Sunday’s rivalry match between No. 12 Oregon (8-1) and Oregon State (2-8) began with 3,207 fans watching intently, hoping for another home victory at Matthew Knight Arena. 

It concluded with the entire crowd on their feet, a Sophie Gregoire kill and a Ducks win.

The match began with an 8-0 Oregon run. The Beavers had no answers for the Ducks’ front row — which had three early blocks.

“I thought [our blockers] were putting pressure consistently on them. I thought we were making great reads,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “When your block is set up because of the serve all of a sudden, our floor defense, we know exactly where to go and we know the gaps we need to fill. It just all works together.” 

Onye Ofoegbu was efficient and dominant in the first set. She recorded three kills on four total attacks to go along with her four blocks.

“We work on blocking a lot — a lot,” Ofoegbu said. “I feel like that helped a lot for tonight, but it’s a lot of work and a lot of practice.”

Both sides came into the match off wins at Portland State earlier in the week. Oregon hadn’t been home since its two-match homestand to open the season.

The return to Matthew Knight Arena resulted in the Ducks entering conference play continuing their eight-match win streak.

“I gotta think that for a non-conference match at home, this is probably our biggest crowd since I’ve been here,” Ulmer said. “I think that really provides us what we need, some experience with the big crowd before we get into Big Ten play.”

Oregon got off to a slower start in the second set. It had six attack errors in the set, which followed a first set with only one. The Ducks still controlled the second with multiple scoring runs to emerge 25-15.

The service line was the only thing that gave the Ducks any trouble in the match. Oregon had eight service errors but still recorded six aces.

The Ducks had the edge in just about every other statistic. They out-blocked the Beavers 14 to two and tallied 42 kills to 24.

“I thought it was our most complete match of the year. I thought we were very consistent throughout. I thought we controlled the ball better,” Ulmer said. “Our block is pretty dynamic and can really mess with a lot of people.”

Oregon State entirely ran out of steam by the time the third set came around. Between the collection of attack and service errors and emphatic kills from Ofoegbu and Mimi Colyer, any chance of a Beavers’ comeback came crashing down.

It was a complete performance from Oregon down the roster. Ofoegbu and Noemie Glover combined for 15 kills and 18 blocks, while Colyer finished with 10 kills and 11 digs.

“I think everything for us is consistency. I think we did a really good job in all areas. We’re really well-rounded,” Glover said. “We’ve been working on a lot of practice, kind of just like feeling ourselves in the court and knowing that we can do these things. So I think that we did a really good job executing.”

Oregon’s only loss this season was against the No. 1 team in the country — a University of Pittsburgh squad that hasn’t lost a single set all season.

“I think it’s important to try to maintain focus on our side because we’re going to play a lot of big teams, a lot of big names,” Ofoegbu said. “But at the end of the day, we have to play work in volleyball and focus on our side.” 

Next week the Ducks start Big Ten play. They’ll begin their conference slate at Matthew Knight Arena next weekend against the University of Illinois (8-2) and Indiana University (7-3).

No. 9 Oregon narrowly defeated its opponent for the second week in a row. Now, its attention shifts to taking down a familiar foe.

The in-state rivalry between the Ducks (2-0) and the Beavers (2-0) looks a little bit different this time around. Oregon embarked on a new journey in the Big Ten while Oregon State was left behind with Washington State as the last two members of the Pac-12 conference.

The Ducks’ start to the Big Ten era has been nothing short of anticlimactic. Their matchup against Boise State University last Saturday came down to a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds. The 37-34 nail-biting victory followed a 24-14 win against the University of Idaho in Week 1.

Oregon’s season has been defined by the struggles of its offensive line. Transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel recorded 623 passing yards and four touchdowns on 84.3 percent completion. The Ducks appear to be doing almost everything right on paper — except protecting their quarterback.

In each of the two seasons that Bo Nix was the starting quarterback, the offensive line allowed only five sacks. In the first two games of the season Oregon has seven, which nearly equals the total sacks allowed in the previous two seasons combined. The Ducks score on a high percentage of their red-zone opportunities, but the sacks have limited it to just six trips to the redzone. 

“We’ll watch the film and evaluate and figure out who our best five or six or seven, whoever that might be, that can play winning football for us,” head coach Dan Lanning said about the offensive line after the win against Boise State. 

Meanwhile, the Beavers underwent a drastic roster shakeup in the offseason. Many of its stars from its 2023 team — which finished fourth in the Pac-12 — exited as the program ended on the wrong side of conference realignment.

Enter Gevani McCoy. Oregon State’s new starting quarterback transferred to Corvallis after three seasons with the Idaho Vandals. 

The Oregon defense will face a similar offensive scheme as it saw against the Broncos last weekend. McCoy isn’t a quarterback that puts the ball in the air very often. He only has two touchdown passes on 295 yards to his name despite blowout wins against Idaho State University and San Diego State University.

The Beavers rushed for 237 yards on 51 carries against the San Diego State Aztecs last Saturday. The transfer-running back duo of Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson each have over 200 rushing yards in just two games. They’re two names to keep an eye on if the matchup is as closely contested as the Ducks’ first two games.

“I’m anxious to get an opportunity to play those guys. I know they have always been a well-coached team. I don’t think anything has changed there,” Lanning said. “They certainly have some talent on their team and they do a really good job.”

Oregon entered the season as the No. 3 seed in the AP Poll — its highest preseason ranking since 2014 when the Ducks made it all the way to the National Championship Game. The thin margin of victory in the games against Idaho and Boise State slid the Ducks down six spots.

A matchup against Oregon State is one that usually players and fans alike get hyped for, regardless of what conference the two sides play in. It could be the exact confidence booster that the Ducks need if they’re able to get a dominant win.

“I’m excited to see our guys go out there again and we’ll be competing against [ourselves] this week too because that’s really where our growth starts,” Lanning said. “I know Oregon State will be pumped, ready to go and excited to play.”

The Ducks head north to take on the Beavers in Corvallis at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

There’s a stark contrast between the top two quarterbacks on the Oregon roster in 2024.

The Ducks have a seasoned veteran versus a sophomore quarterback still finding his footing in the collegiate football landscape. They have a recent five-star recruit versus a player who was a consensus three-star six years ago.

The experiences that transfer quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore have had up until this point are very different. What Oregon possesses, however, is a quarterback duo that most programs across the country envy.

The Ducks were aggressive in the transfer portal in an offseason like no other. They replaced their Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix with not one, but two of the top quarterbacks in the portal. Now, Oregon is set up for success beyond just the 2024 season.

Gabriel is the presumed starter for 2024. He spent 2019 through 2021 at the University of Central Florida before playing two years at Oklahoma University. Gabriel recorded 30 passing touchdowns on 3,660 yards to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns for the Sooners last season.

Oregon gets a proven quarterback to ease the transition from the Nix era of Ducks football. Gabriel also has the experience of being a transfer quarterback at Oklahoma to help him.

“It’s like getting a new car but there’s new buttons and accessories but you have to go out and race it,” Gabriel said at Oregon Media Day. “As you find out more about it, you can do more fun tricks and kind of show off while doing it. I just feel like I have full command of it now.”

The sixth-year quarterback enters the Ducks’ program with 49 career starts. His 125 career passing touchdowns rank eighth all-time among college quarterbacks.

Moore, on the other hand, enters his sophomore year after a difficult season at UCLA. He was thrown into action early with the Bruins, starting five games and appearing in nine. He tallied 11 touchdown passes, but threw nine interceptions and was sacked 25 times.

“Last year, I truly appreciate playing as a true freshman. Many times it was challenging being out there,” Moore said at Media Day. “A lot of mistakes were made, but I feel like the biggest thing as a quarterback is getting developed.”

Moore originally committed to Oregon when he was in high school. He flipped his commitment to UCLA when former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham left to take the head coaching position at Arizona State University.

Moore finally winds up with the team he committed to in July 2022. Instead of backing up Nix, Gabriel will be the veteran quarterback Moore learns from.

“He’s been in college for a really long time, so just being able to ask him questions about certain coverages, certain ways he just throws the ball in this situation, I just really appreciate it,” Moore said of Gabriel. “I feel like as a quarterback room, we’re just never looking at, ‘This person’s higher than this person.’ We just always look at each other as one.”

Freshman Luke Moga and redshirt freshmen Austin Novosad and Brock Thomas join Gabriel and Moore as members of the 2024 quarterback room.

Moore has expressed that he’s fine with not being at the top of the depth chart this season. Appreciating the journey and being patient is something he said he’s learned from Gabriel’s collegiate career.

“If this is my year, this is my year. If it’s not my year, I’m of course redshirting [and]  things of that nature,” Moore said at Media Day. “I feel like the biggest thing [Gabriel] just told me is patience.”

Ducks fans are very fortunate when it comes to star quarterbacks. They will seemingly go from watching Nix to cheering on Gabriel to likely having Moore as the head of the offense.

But Moore had a simple response when asked on media day how he defines a successful season — and it had nothing to do with starting or individual performance.

“A national championship,” Moore said. “It hasn’t been done in the history of Oregon, and I feel like this year we’re very talented. Mentally, we’re really prepared [as well as] physically prepared.”

Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson had just intercepted the football at a critical juncture in the 2023 Pac-12 Championship. Due to a burst of passion and celebration, he went into full-body cramps.

This was one of the first memories of Jackson that came to mind when Oregon head coach Dan Lanning stood inside Autzen Stadium at Jackson’s candlelight vigil on July 10. 

“When he made a play, it was special,” Lanning said at the vigil. “But when he celebrated a play, it was that much more special because this guy celebrated every part of life.”

Jackson was killed in a tragic car accident on July 6. He was visiting his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Maryland during a break between the Minnesota Vikings’ minicamp and training camp. Jackson’s high school teammates Isaiah Hazel and Anthony Lytton Jr. were also in the car and did not survive.

It’s evident through the stories shared by Jackson’s teammates, coaches and friends over the past month how much of an impact he had along every stop in life he made.

“His story was one of resilience. He was taking steps to become the best version of himself not just for him, but for those who cared about and looked up to him,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said via a statement after Jackson’s death. “Khyree’s personality captured every room he was in.”

Jackson was selected with the No. 108 pick in the fourth round of April’s 2024 NFL Draft by Minnesota. His path to getting drafted into the league was untraditional. Instead of receiving Division I offers, he went to Arizona Western College out of high school with the intention of playing football there. 

Jackson ended up going home to Maryland where he worked in the deli of a Harris Teeter supermarket.

He returned to football in 2019. Jackson spent a season at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas where he became one of the top defensive prospects in junior college nationally. He transferred to East Mississippi College the next year, but the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then, Jackson got the opportunity to play for the reigning NCAA Champions at the time — The University of Alabama Crimson Tide.

The cornerback impressed throughout his two seasons at Alabama. He recorded 14 total tackles, including 11 solo tackles. Jackson entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2022 season, where the stars aligned for him to go to Oregon.

Jackson influenced the Ducks quickly after his arrival in Eugene. Between his competitiveness and joy, he was someone who brought the best out of his teammates on and off the field.

“If you’re around Khyree, you’re going to have a good day,” Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson said at the candlelight vigil.

Jackson’s teammates were always inspired to give their best because they knew Jackson would. He tallied 34 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks during the 2023 season. Jackson was named First Team All-Pac-12.

“You wanted to play so good because Khyree was playing good,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t just that he was playing good on the field. He was the same way in life.”

Jackson landed with the Vikings seven years after graduating high school. The Minnesota locker room already felt the same mentality that his Ducks teammates saw throughout his year at Oregon.

“It was pretty remarkable to hear the kind of impact that he had in such a short amount of time,” Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell said to the media ahead of Minnesota’s training camp.

Both the Ducks and the Vikings will honor Jackson this season. Oregon unveiled helmet decals that pay tribute to Jackson and tight end Spencer Webb — who died in 2022. Meanwhile, the Vikings announced that they would pay $20,000 for Jackson’s funeral expenses and pay his signing bonus to his estate. Minnesota will also wear helmet decals in 2024.

The fighting spirit that Jackson displayed in his career and his life will remain with the Ducks. His story will live on through the people and the teams he crossed paths with.

“I hope that every one of us can learn from his trials and tribulations to reach his goal and it can help some of us reach those same goals,” Lanning said at the candlelight vigil. “I know that Khyree’s going to have that impact.”