Sixth-ranked Oregon won a Saturday-night thriller in two overtimes against No. 3 Penn State, 30-24, that made the first regular season meeting in 62 years between the two storied programs worth the wait.
“Regardless of who won that game, just unbelievable back and forth. Penn State is a damn good football team,” Ducks head coach Dan Lanning told reporters afterward. “They figured out some stuff there against us at the end.
“Every series mattered ,” Lanning added. “Just unbelievable back and forth. We had four touchdowns when you start counting overtime. Overtime was a different animal.”
Oregon and Penn State played to a 3-3 deadlock in a first-half defensive battle, and that score held until 3:15 left in the third quarter when Ducks quarterback Dante Moore completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dierre Hill Jr. That capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive and gave the Ducks a 10-3 lead in Happy Valley.
“It’s as proud as I’ve been of our team playing well on both sides of the ball. The score didn’t maybe indicate that in the first half with our offense, but the defense played really well in the first,” Lanning said. “In the second half, the offense really picked it up.”
Offense Changed the Game in the Second Half
GettyJerry Mixon and fellow Oregon teammates celebrate a game-sealing interception.
The defensive battle ended when Ducks running back Jordon Davison made it 17-3 on an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, which concluded a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Oregon had 12:25 to close out the game at that point and head back to Eugene with a top-10 victory, but the Nittany Lions offense broke through, instead, less than two minutes later.
“The defense had some good back and forth. Just an unbelievable effort by our players, unbelievable effort by our coaches,” Lanning said. “I thought our coaches had a great game plan going into this game against a really tough team.”
That toughness showed on Penn State’s end when quarterback Drew Allar completed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Devonte Ross and cut the lead to 17-10 with 10:30 left. The Nittany Lions moved the ball quickly on the drive, 75 yards in four plays.
Penn State struck again quickly with the game on the line when Allar connected with Ross again for a 7-yard score at 30 seconds remained, which forced overtime amid a 17-17 tie. The Nittany Lions grabbed the lead in overtime, 24-17, on Kaytron Allen’s 4-yard touchdown run.
Oregon answered as Moore found Jamari Johnson with 2-yard touchdown pass to knot the game, 24-24, in overtime. The Ducks reclaimed the lead during the second overtime, 30-24, when Moore connected with Gary Bryant Jr. on a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Oregon Defense Shut the Door
Oregon’s defense then rose to the occasion as Dillon Thieneman picked off All on the Nttany Lions‘ first offensive play of the second overtime.
“These guys, they fought. We just talked all week it’s about getting a cut. It’s death by a thousand cuts,” Lanning said. “We just had to get another cut. And eventually that cut was going to be a jugular. And that last interception was the jugular.”
Oregon improved to 5-0 and walked out of Happy Valley with a in, amid a sea of white-clad 111,015 fans cheering against them.
“I thought our players handled the crowd. The crowd didn’t make a single play, right? )ur players made plays today. That showed up in this game,” Lanning said.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning Sends Message to Penn State