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

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — 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.

“Different than we thought it would look like,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Great teams are able to to learn from tight matches. This was a tight match, and we didn't create some of the explosive plays I was hoping we could create offesively. Gave up a couple of critical plays on defense. So certainly some things to attack.”

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.

“You can never doubt an opponent,'' defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei said. ”Tip my hat off to Idaho, that's a great program. Shoot, it was a close game. I don't think we were expecting that."

Tez time

Johnson caught 12 passes for 81 yards and both of the touchdowns through the air from Gabriel.

Last season, Johnson caught 86 passes for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. His receptions were an Oregon single-season record.

Like Lanning, he saw room for improvement.

“We've just got to finish. That's exactly what it is. We have to finish in the red zone,” Johnson. “And that's something we'll fix.”

Honoring Khyree

The Ducks held a moment of silence before the game for Khyree Jackson, 24, a former Oregon cornerback who was killed on July 6 along with two of his friends in a car accident in Maryland. Jackson was preparing for his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Oregon’s helmets this season include stickers for Jackson and former tight end Spencer Webb, who died ahead of the 2023 season in a climbing accident.

Pickard starts

Charlie Pickard, a former walk-on who followed his dad to Oregon despite offers from other schools, earned the start for the game at center.

The Ducks needed to replace Jackson Powers-Johnson, last season’s Rimington Trophy winner who was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round of the NFL draft.

Iapani Laloulu started for the Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl and competed with Pickard for the spot at center. Laloulu instead started at right guard

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.

Up text

Idaho: At Wyoming on Saturday.

Oregon: Hosts Boise State on Saturday.

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Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press