College Football Analyst Praises Oregon Ducks: 'Veteran-Led Team'

College football analyst Joel Klatt praised the Oregon Ducks for a shutout win over Purdue after beating Ohio State. Klatt said he was impressed by the Ducks for avoiding the trap game, lauding the team's veteran leadership.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) hands the ball off to Oregon Ducks quarterback Luke Moga (10) during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

After the Oregon Ducksd beat Ohio State in one of the biggest games of the college football season, many pundits circled the Friday-night road game against Purdue as a classic 'trap game.' National college football analyst Joel Klatt praised the Ducks for avoiding the typical slow start against the Boilermakers.

“I was skeptical that (Oregon) would play well last week after a big, emotional win at home against Ohio State,” said Klatt. “And then they had to go on the road, against a Purdue team that had not played very well this season, and you’re going to be on the road on a Friday night. I thought, man, that has all the trappings of a game in which you kind of sleepwalk through the first quarter. Wrong.”

Klatt may have been right to worry about Oregon's ability to start strong after a short week following one of the most anticipated games of the season against Ohio State. In addition, Purdue has rightfully earned themselves the nickname of "Spoilermakers" because of their history of upsetting teams that travel to West Lafayette, Indiana.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) hands the ball off to Oregon Ducks quarterback Luke Moga (10) during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

As a program, Purdue has 17 wins against AP top-five opponents while the Boilermakers were unranked, the most all-time across college football. However, Oregon coach Dan Lanning had his team prepared for the Boilermakers, and the Ducks jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime.

“Ducks came out fired up, they came out executing. That was clearly a veteran-led team. Lanning had them ready to play, and that was really impressive to me. . . . What’s impressive is how they started the game, in what I considered to be prime ‘let down’ territory. Dan Lanning understands motivation," said Klatt.

Lanning certainly motivated his team for the Purdue game, despite the emotions following a win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Evan Stewart led the team with 96 receiving yards on four receptions. Oregon's running back Jordan James totaled 50 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Oregon will face No. 20 Illinois on Saturday, in a game that no one has circled as a "trap game." The Ducks are 21-point favorites, the Fighting Illini are looking to ruin Oregon's undefeated season.

The top-20 matchup between the Ducks and the Fighting Illini will kickoff in Autzen stadium at 12:30 p.m. PT. The game will be televised by CBS.

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