Dillon Gabriel’s record-breaking touchdown pass was made even more memorable because it was caught by an unlikely player, offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson.
Gabriel set the NCAA record for total career touchdowns as No. 1 Oregon stayed undefeated with a 39-18 win over Maryland on Saturday night.
Gabriel passed for 183 yards and three touchdowns for the Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten), who are ranked No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. The win marked Oregon’s 14th consecutive home victory.
Gabriel’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Wilson early in the second half gave him 179 total touchdowns, breaking Case Keenum’s record of 178 (155 passing, 23 rushing) from his time at Houston from 2007-11. Gabriel added another touchdown pass before the night ended.
After the game, Gabriel said that Wilson, a backup offensive lineman, deserved the game ball. “Definitely Gernorris. What a way to score. Proud of him, and what an interesting way to do it,” Gabriel said. “He’s worked hard at that one.”
Gabriel, a sixth-year quarterback who transferred to Oregon this season from Oklahoma, said he doesn’t focus too much on personal records.
“It’s the relationships, the people, Gernorris catching that touchdown. Those are the things I’ll remember, not necessarily the record book,” he said.
For Maryland (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten), Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 206 yards and one touchdown. The Terrapins, who were coming off a bye week after a tough 48-23 loss to Minnesota, have now lost five of their last six games.
Gabriel was without one of his top receivers in this game. Tez Johnson, who hurt his shoulder in Oregon’s 38-17 win over Michigan last week, did not play. Gabriel relied on Traeshon Holden, who had a career-high 149 receiving yards last week, but Holden briefly left the game in the first half with what appeared to be a lower leg injury, although he returned to play.
In addition to Gabriel’s achievement, Oregon coach Dan Lanning expressed concern about the team’s slow start on offense and their 12 penalties for 95 yards.
“We didn’t play as well as we could, there’s no doubt about that,” Lanning said. “I don’t think our guys lacked preparation, but we didn’t play as well as we can. I’d say every game this year I’ve felt like we’ve grown. This one, we’ve got some growing moments, so we’re going to learn from it.”
The game started with Jack Howes kicking a 37-yard field goal for Maryland on their first drive. Oregon quickly took the lead with a 3-yard touchdown run from Jordan James, making it 7-3.
Oregon then extended their lead after a sack by Jordan Burch forced Edwards to fumble, and Brandon Johnson scooped up the ball and ran it back 62 yards for a touchdown.
Maryland responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Roman Hemby, cutting the lead to 14-10, helped by a pass interference call on Oregon’s Tysheem Johnson.
Oregon added another touchdown before halftime when Gabriel threw a 9-yard pass to Terrance Ferguson. With that pass, Gabriel tied the NCAA record for most career touchdowns responsible for.
He broke the record early in the second half with his short pass to Wilson, putting the Ducks up 29-10.
Maryland answered with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Octavian Smith Jr. and a successful 2-point conversion early in the fourth quarter, narrowing the score to 29-18. But Oregon shut down any momentum from the Terps with a pair of turnovers.
One interception led to a 20-yard field goal from Atticus Sappington, putting Oregon up 32-18. Another interception led to a 17-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Evan Stewart with 3:45 left, making it 39-18.
Gabriel now has 147 career passing touchdowns, 32 rushing touchdowns, and one touchdown reception.
“He’ll be the first one to tell you he doesn’t care, but he should, because that was a really special moment for him,” Lanning said about his quarterback.
