How Oregon football dominated Michigan State to stay undefeated

Staying perfect through five games, the No. 6 Oregon football team throttled Michigan State Friday night at Autzen Stadium, 31-10.

The Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) completely stifled the Spartans (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) offensively, holding them without a point until Oregon’s backups conceded 10 points in mop-up time.

Through three quarters the Spartans ran just five plays in Oregon territory, with just one in the second and third quarters combined. When all was said and done Michigan State managed just 250 total yards, 59 rushing yards, and was 2 for 11 on third down.

Offensively though, the Ducks struggled in the red zone. They put up 477 yards of total offense, including 213 rushing yards and a 5.8 per-carry average.

Dillon Gabriel completed 20 of his 32 passes in an uncharacteristically inefficient performance with 257 yards, three total touchdowns and two interceptions. Tez Johnson caught 10 of his 14 targets for 84 yards and a score and Jordan James rushed for a career-high 166 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown.

Here are a couple takeaways from Oregon’s dominant win.

Oregon defense puts up historically strong effort

Though the Ducks’ backups eventually relented a pair of scores in the fourth quarter, the UO defense essentially shut out the Spartans when it mattered.

After Michigan State drove all the way to Oregon’s 1-yard-line on its first drive, Duck defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell punched the ball from Spartan QB Aidan Chiles’ hands and defensive end Jordan Burch fell on it to secure the ball and prevent an early score.

Until the fourth quarter, that would be as close as the Spartans would get to scoring.

MSU ran just one more play in Oregon territory in the middle quarters and did essentially nothing offensively after all its momentum was stripped away by the fumble.

“I just ultimately think that’s our standard that we want to be able to perform to week in and week out, regardless of opponent,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “There’s a way you want to go out there and perform on defense. We knew they had an attack that was going to be tough to be able to stop, but once we were able to secure the run game and make them play a little bit left-handed.”

The Spartans averaged just 2 yards per carry, with lead back Nate Carter toting the rock just five times for 11 yards.

Defensive end Jordan Burch puts together 2nd straight dominant game

Though his two-year Oregon tenure has been inconsistent, defensive end Jordan Burch has put together two of his best weeks in a Duck uniform.

The fact that Oregon’s defense has also played well around him is no coincidence.

“If I did everything they said I could do, that’s what shows on the field,” Burch said of his coaches and his preparation.

Burch finished with 2.5 sacks Friday after nabbing a sack and a few tackles for loss against UCLA last weekend.

The senior has long been touted by Oregon’s coaching staff as having untapped potential, and in each of his last two games against the Bruins and Spartans, Burch has shown the type of player he can be.

“He’s playing with great violence,” Lanning. “He’s the kind of person who shouldn’t be blocked one-on-one.”

Duck QB Dillon Gabriel's red zone turnovers have become a problem

For the second straight week, Gabriel has struggled in the red zone. The sixth-year QB threw a pick-six on the goal line of Oregon’s 34-13 win over UCLA last week, and threw two more red zone interceptions Friday against the Spartans.

In a tighter game against a better opponent, those two plays could loom larger than they did in either of the last two weeks.

“We had a conversation, but that’s a moment to reset,” Lanning said. “This guy has played a lot of snaps and again, it’s not easy to play college football. The timing is so important, understanding where we’re at on the field is so important, I think those will be great growth moments for Dillon.”

The first came on Oregon’s second drive, with the ball all the way down on MSU’s 1-yard-line. On third-and-goal, Gabriel rolled to his left and fired slightly across his body into the waiting hands of MSU’s Malik Spencer, who hauled in a fingertip grab in the end zone.

A few drives later, on second-and-11 from the MSU 11, Gabriel tossed a pass rolling to his right that was easily intercepted by Charles Brantley.

After the game, Gabriel said he wished he had both of those throws back.

“I just think at times my eyes get bigger than my stomach in the red zone,” Gabriel said. “At some point it’s just things you got to get better at and continue to emphasize. You look at those two drives and how different of a game it will be. It’s definitely what we’re striving for … in tight games and games you need to be 100% scoring in the red zone, you can’t have things happen like that.”

Gabriel took accountability for all three red-zone interceptions over the last two weeks, but also promised he’d be better.

Lanning, for his part, said that he isn’t worried about Gabriel and his decision-making, but that protecting the ball would be emphasis in the future.

“Those have been later balls,” Lanning said of Gabriel’s timing. “We have to do a better job of getting the ball out on time and knowing we already have points in those situations.”

Oregon's Jordan James erupts in strong first half performance

Before halftime Friday, Oregon running back Jordan James had a career high in rushing yards.

Though he was mostly stymied in the second half, James totaled 166 rushing yards on 24 carries and had a touchdown on a career night in the backfield.

With Gabriel struggling to connect with receivers in the red zone, James took the workload from his QB’s hands and ran with it to the tune of over 150 yards by halftime.

“I think our offensive staff had a really great plan of understanding where we wanted to attack in our run game, and I thought our offensive line blocked well and we were able to block well on the second level, too,” Lanning said.

Gabriel, who credited the offensive line for making vast improvements from the beginning of the season, also said that James made plays for himself once he got to the second level.

“He’s got great vision; the guy is special,” Gabriel said of James. “The guys up front created alleyways for him to work with. But when you’re able to give him that space and have him work on a third-level defender, then he’s able to do his thing and make a move and get vertical.”

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

WATCH: Oregon coach Dan Lanning speaks after the Ducks' win over MSU

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks Friday night following the Ducks' 31-10 win over Michigan State at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.