The No. 7 Oregon Ducks defeated the Boise State Broncos 37-34 on Saturday night at Autzen Stadium to extend their nation-leading nonconference home winning streak to 34 games. Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington kicked a last-second 25-yard field goal to secure the win.

The duel was packed with highs, lows and fireworks. It was a game that made you hold on to your baseball caps.

“They were resilient,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said on the postgame broadcast. “We kicked ourselves in the foot today. At the end of the day, we have a team that got the win. We can learn a lot from this game, but we have a resilient team.”

“When we’re in rhythm, we can be special, when we’re not, we’re not. So it’s about us continuing to find moments like that,” Lanning continued.

The win is Oregon’s first over Boise State, which now has a 1-3 record against the Broncos. The matchup involved two legitimate Heisman Trophy contenders: Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

Oregon’s performance left no doubt about the lackluster performance in Week 1, in which the Ducks lost narrowly 24-14 to the Idaho Vandals.

Against Boise State, the Ducks dropped the ball twice, missed a PAT, committed nine penalties, allowed four sacks and were unable to limit Jeanty, who ran for three touchdowns. Jeanty now has 450 yards with nine touchdowns through the first two weeks of the 2024 college football season.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s goal against Boise State included more explosive plays on offense. The Ducks delivered, starting with a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dillon Gabriel to receiver Evan Stewart in the second quarter. Oregon receiver Traeshon Holden added excitement with a 59-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Oregon receiver and returner Tez Johnson shined on special teams, returning an 85-yard punt for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was Oregon’s first punt return that resulted in a touchdown since 2018.

To make matters worse, running back Noah Whittington shined with a 100-yard kickoff return.

After his first-quarter touchdown run against Boise State, Gabriel moved into second place in NCAA history with 155 touchdowns. Gabriel completed 18 of 21 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, as well as one rushing touchdown.

On the ground, running back Jordan James led the team with 102 yards on 17 attempts. Oregon was outscored in rushing yards 221 to 111.

The bad news? Oregon allowed four sacks in the first half against Boise State. After allowing three sacks in Week 1 against Idaho, the worrying trend is becoming a glaring problem.

“We knew we had to attack Dillon Gabriel,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said on the broadcast. “Everything goes through him. And our guys play hard. But we have to finish it. We have to finish it together.”

Boise State running back Jeanty showed why he is considered the first running back in the 2025 NFL Draft. Jeanty rushed for 192 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns.

“One of the things that makes him so special is his ability to extend his arm to the right. He does that really well. Stiff arm. You see that on film all the time,” Lanning said.

Next, Oregon travels to Corvallis, Oregon to face a familiar foe: the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, September 14 at 12:30 p.m. PT. It’s Oregon’s last non-conference game before the Big Ten regular season begins on the road at UCLA on September 28.