Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning delivered a fiery message after dismantling Michigan, 38-17. The kind that’ll likely reach Heisman Trophy voters.
Lanning’s Ducks once again saw Dillon Gabriel lift the team through his arm and legs. The quarterback racked up 294 aerial yards and added 23 through the ground game. This sounds like a typical office day for Gabriel. Lanning, though, saw a QB who dominated in one of the most hostile venues in the nation: Michigan’s Big House in Ann Arbor.
The 38-year-old head coach fired off this message after Oregon’s 21-point win.
“I think everybody in the nation needs to recognize what kind of quarterback we’ve got,” Lanning said, via Rob Moseley of goducks.com.
The coach clearly believes Gabriel should earn more national acclaim than what he’s already getting. Gabriel is putting together one of his strongest campaigns to date. Although, his Heisman chatter often gets drowned out by Cam Ward of Miami, plus running back Ashton Jeanty of Boise State.
Gabriel operated against a rabid crowd. Michigan also entered its venue thinking upset and challenged the No. 1 Ducks out the gate. Lanning, though, credits Gabriel’s composure in leading the win.
“He is the calmest dude you’ve ever been around,” Lanning said.
Where Dillon Gabriel has improved most for Oregon football
Gabriel’s head coach lauds the poise and playmaking of the QB. But where has Gabriel improved the most?
The 6-foot, 200-pound senior has risen his completion percentage to 76.2. That’s more than his previous best of 69.3% when he suited up for Oklahoma.
Gabriel also hit another personal best. He has currently established a 174.8 QB rating — higher than his 2023 mark of 172.
The first-year Oregon QB is still a point shy from tying his average yards per play mark. He recorded an average of 9.5 last year for the Sooners. He’s also still 629 passing yards away from hitting 3,000 for the season.
But with three games left in the regular season, Gabriel is closing on on his fourth career 3,000-yard passing season. The NCAA’s all-time passing yards leader Case Keenum only surpassed that mark three times in his career — and he delivered three 5,000-yard campaigns.
Lanning demands more national respect for Gabriel as Heisman chatter heats up. Gabriel has given Oregon its best chance of producing its first Heisman Trophy holder since Marcus Mariota 10 years ago. Perhaps Gabriel’s first-ever victory inside The Big House will provide an argument for his candidacy. Or if anything, Saturday’s performance can ramp up the national praise for the new beloved Oregon football star.
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