INDIANAPOLIS — Dillon Gabriel threw four touchdown passes and No. 1 Oregon outlasted No. 3 Penn State 45-37 on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship, giving the Ducks a first-round bye and almost certainly the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks (13-0, No. 1 CFP) are the only unbeaten team in FBS — barely. They nearly blew a 15-point lead in the final four minutes, ending the Nittany Lions’ last gasp with Nikko Reed’s interception of Drew Allar’s pass with 1:54 left on a wild, wacky championship weekend.
Jordan James ran for two scores to help Oregon win its first league title since 2020 in the Pac-12, this one coming in its first year in the Big Ten. Tez Johnson was selected the game’s MVP after catching 11 passes for 181 yards one score.
“These guys can take it all the way if they continue to work and I can guarantee you they continue to work,” Ducks coach Dan Lanning said.
Penn State (11-2, No. 3 CFP) also is expected to make the first 12-team playoff field despite having its four-game winning streak snapped after failing to convert a 2-point conversion early in the fourth quarter — leaving it down 38-30.
Oregon capped the ensuing a 75-yard drive with James’ 12-yard TD run to make it 45-30 with 7:28 to go.
But Allar responded with a nifty 14-yard TD pass to Harrison Wallace III with 3:41 to play and Penn State forced a punt, giving Allar one more chance to tie it.
Gabriel finished 22 of 32 with 283 yards, hooking up with Kenyon Sadiq twice in the first half when the teams combined for a championship-game record 55 points. The previous mark, 52, came in 2012.
Sadiq had only two catches in the game — hurdling a defender on the way to his first score. James rushed 20 times for 87.
Allar was 20 of 39 with 236 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. Kaytron Allen had 14 carries for 124 yards and one score, and Nicolas Singleton carried 10 times for 101 yards and caught a TD pass. Tyler Warren had seven receptions for 64 yards.
Both teams allowed their highest point totals this season.
Oregon: No, it wasn’t a lopsided affair but the Ducks did what they needed to do Saturday — win. They extended the FBS’ longest active winning streak to 14 and can now focus on their next goal, winning a national championship.
Penn State: Coach James Franklin’s team had as much to prove as anybody Saturday. The biggest complaint about Franklin-coached teams had been the offensive struggles in big games. This time, the Nittany Lions did score points and it should give them a big confidence boost.
Sadiq’s initial score was the first of several highlight reel plays Saturday.
He set the tone by catching a pass in the flat and hurdling Jalen Kimber in full stride on his way to the goal line.
Then as Penn State tried to mount a late comeback, Allar threw a bullet to WallaceI, who barely held onto the ball in front of a diving defender.
And, of course Reed’s acrobatic interception along the Penn State sideline, might have been the most amazing play of all.
Both teams will be eagerly anticipating the selection show Sunday to find out who, when and where they are playing next. ___
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