The Oregon Ducks defense earns its first road shutout since 1992 with a dominant win over Purdue

The Ducks traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana to face the Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten road game, and despite the noise, Oregon put together its most complete performance of the season to date, winning the game 35-0. The Ducks entered the game as 30-point favorites and played as usual from start to finish.

Rat poison. Read the press clippings. Trap game. There are a million football-isms that get to the heart of the concern about complacency and the consequences that come with it. Those concerns are heightened after a big win, and the Oregon Ducks earned the biggest win in their program’s regular season history last Saturday against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“I’m happy that our boys are traveling and putting on a game. There will be a lot where we can look back on the game and say we can improve, but for us it’s the first shutout in a long time. It’s good to be able to implement that. In the second half we were able to let the ball run. It will be a lot to build on, but you have to be able to travel in the Big Ten. This is a tough conference. You have to be able to travel and win,” Ducks coach Dan Lanning said in the on-field interview after the game.

The Oregon Ducks secured their first shutout since 2012 against Arizona and their first shutout since 1992 against Oregon State. The defense held the Purdue offense to 301 yards and forced two interceptions to sustain the shutout.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the offense got off to a roaring 21-0 start and never looked back. Gabriel finished the game 21/25 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Wide receivers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson both had big games as leading pass catchers. Stewart led the way with four catches for 96 yards. The rushing attack was not productive, but it was efficient, especially in the red zone, where it secured three touchdowns.

There was a glimpse of how good the Oregon Ducks can be against Ohio State, but it was far from a perfect game. This was the most dominant performance all season, and yet there is room for growth. There will be a lot to correct for Dan Lanning when the Ducks “go to the doctor,” aka their self-reflection period after each game.

Gabriel again threw an interception at the end of the half. When the Boilermakers turned the ball over in return a few plays later, there was no rebound, but these mistakes repeat themselves and need to be corrected. Purdue had over 200 rushing yards and an average of 5.2 yards per attempt.

The defense as a whole put in a fantastic performance, holding the Boilermakers to under 300 total yards and zero points, but defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi will certainly take credit for that as the Ducks can’t continue to give up so many yards per attempt on the ground. Overall tackling behavior can also be improved, as Dan Lanning highlighted in the field interview after the game.

The Oregon Ducks are steadily rising and looking as dangerous as they have all season. The most encouraging and exciting thing about it? The Ducks can play so much better. The team’s goal is the college football playoffs and ultimately the national championship game. At 7-0, the Ducks are now five regular season games away from punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff.

There are other short-term goals, like winning the Big Ten and securing a first-round bye in the playoffs, but the most important thing is just getting in there. The Ducks are getting closer and closer to this goal and are continuing to improve.