Instant classic in Autzen: Oregon takes down Ohio State in first Big Ten test — ‘We were going to give them a show’

 

EUGENE, Ore. — Dan Lanning entered the post-game news conference with a sweeping smile.

“Anybody got a heart-rate monitor?” he quipped.

Lanning is all of us, every single one of us who adores college football and witnessed on Saturday what makes the game so incredibly great: tight wins and big brands, passion and pageantry, upsets and underdogs. Heart racing. Pulse pounding.

Four top-25 teams won in overtime, two teams won by two points and one won by a point.

Perhaps none of them was wilder than what unfolded here in the Pacific Northwest inside a roaring and rocking Autzen Stadium.

On this field, two of college football’s most expensive teams waged war — each estimated to have spent close to $20 million on their rosters. Two big Big Ten brands battled. A haymaker here. An uppercut there.

Eight combined touchdowns. Nearly 1,000 yards of offense. Seven lead changes.

Great catches. Wild runs. Big hits.

Wacky happenings, too. An ejection for spitting! A second-quarter onside kick ricocheting off a player. Questionable game-ending decisions. A costly late-game offensive penalty.

And, in the end, a classic for the ages: No. 3 Oregon 32, No. 2 Ohio State 31.

“You don’t get too many of these,” says Oregon receiver Tez Johnson. “You dream of playing games like this.”

EUGENE, OREGON – OCTOBER 12: Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks reacts after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks won 32-31. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

A dream, that’s what it felt like. A college football dream. An epic showdown that delivered. Lanning described it as a heavyweight fight that went every round.

His Oregon Ducks landed the final blow. A defensive stop that left the opposing quarterback laying on the turf. The clock at zeroes. And the fans…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/instant-classic-in-autzen-oregon-takes-down-ohio-state-in-first-big-ten-test–we-were-going-to-give-them-a-show-054201449.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-13 05:42:01

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