Illinois Answers Oregon's Field Goal with 21 Straight Points
Fourteen seconds. That is how long Oregon got to enjoy a 10-0 lead before Aidan Laughery took a handoff 75 yards for a touchdown. Gage Hurych's 20-yard field goal with 2:29 left in the second quarter made it 10-0, Laughery scored at 2:15, and Illinois went on to win 21-10.
Oregon held on to the lead until the third quarter, when Christian Abney caught a nine-yard pass from Michael Clayton II to make it 14-10. That was the only lead change, and Illinois did not look back. Collin Dixon's 23-yard catch with 2:29 left in the fourth made it 21-10. Oregon's only touchdown was Jordon Davison's two-yard run in the first quarter. The Ducks scored 10 points and the last 21 belonged to Illinois.
The box score reads like Oregon should have won. The Ducks outgained Illinois 426 yards to 314 and threw for 246, while Illinois threw for 89 in total. Illinois ran for 225 yards, and Laughery's one long run was 75 of his 123, more than half. Neither team threw an interception, and each lost one fumble. Oregon sacked the quarterback three times and Illinois got to its opponent twice. Yards are nice. Touchdowns count more, and Illinois had three of them to Oregon's one.
Both teams are 4-3 now. Illinois did it with 89 passing yards and 21 points, which is a stat line I will be thinking about for a while.
Fantasy takeaway: Dixon's 18.5 points led the day, but it was a quiet one by his standards.