Quarterback Dillon Gabriel likens taking over the offense at No. 3 Oregon to driving a new car.
“I knew what the difficult part of it was going to be, as time is of the essence and learning an offense and having command and control of it. It’s like getting a new car, there’s new buttons and accessories, but you’ve got to go out and race it,” Gabriel said. “And as you find more about it, you can do more fun tricks and kind of show off while doing it.”
There’s a lot of newness around Oregon this season and it starts with the move to the Big Ten. Then there’s Gabriel, a first-team Associated Press All-Big 12 quarterback last season, when he threw for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns for Oklahoma.
He replaces Bo Nix, who threw for a national-best 45 touchdowns last season as the Ducks’ steady leader. Nix was the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos this spring.
With Gabriel, Oregon expects to maintain an offense that averaged 531.4 yards and 44.2 points per game - ranked second nationally in both categories - last season. The Ducks 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.
Gabriel, in a nod to the Ducks’ past, will wear No. 8, the same number worn at Oregon by Marcus Mariota, who also hailed from Hawaii.
PHOTOS: Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel now driving the No. 3 Ducks as they move to the Big Ten
Gabriel is eager to show what he can do at Oregon.
“It’s not managing expectations or letting the hype get around us. Shoot, we have a lot of talented players on this team. That’s why there’s a lot of noise,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, talking does nothing for you and you’re going to have to strap up your chin strap and let it go fly.”
Tight end Terrance Ferguson had an opportunity to move on to the NFL but decided to stay with the Ducks. He caught 42 passes last season for 414 yards and six touchdowns, ranking him sixth among FBS tight ends.
Receiver Tez Johnson announced in January that he’d be staying in Eugene. Johnson caught 86 passes for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns last year.
Others who decided to return at Oregon rather than enter the draft or transfer portal include defensive lineman Jeffrey Bassa, defensive end Jordan Burch and RB Jordan James.
Bassa said there were several factors in his decision, including “looking at my tape, realizing some of the things I could get better at, and then also realizing we’re going to the Big Ten, and there’s opportunities in the Big Ten for me to showcase my talent.”
The Ducks had a record eight players taken in the 2024 NFL draft.
They included Nix, center Jackson Powers-Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders), receiver Troy Franklin (Denver Broncos), cornerback Khyree Jackson (Minnesota Vikings), defensive end Brandon Dorlus (Atlanta Falcons), safety Evan Williams (Green Bay Packers), running back Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and inside linebacker Jamal Hill (Houston Texans).
Jackson, 24, 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 Vikings.
The Ducks will honor him with a sticker on their helmets this season. Another sticker will commemorate Spencer Webb, who died ahead of the 2023 season in a climbing accident.
“Losing Khyree in a car accident this summer, it hurt. It’s one of those things you wake up to as a coach and hope to never see. I’m feeling for him and his family,” coach Dan Lanning said.
The rivalry game against Oregon State is still on, it will just come earlier in the season. The Ducks will visit the Beavers on Sept. 14. Oregon State and Washington State are all that was left in the Pac-12 after the conference broke apart last summer.
Other key games on the schedule include No. 2 Ohio State’s visit to Eugene on Oct. 12 and Oregon’s game at No. 9 Michigan on Nov. 2. The Ducks host the rival Huskies, who were among four Pac-12 teams to move to the Big Ten, in late November.
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