Why Oregon Ducks Must Utilize 'Weapon' Evan Stewart More: Dillon Gabriel's Deep Threat

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart is starting to break out as one of the Ducks' top offensive weapons. Stewart started the game Friday night at Purdue with a 49-yard catch on the opening drive from Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Coach Dan Lanning called Stewart a 'weapon.' Stewart is becoming a major deep threat for the Ducks.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) catches a long pass under coverage from Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove (10) during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks are starting to see transfer wide receiver Evan Stewart gel with quarterback Dillon Gabriel. 

Stewart had his first breakout game of the 2024 season in the Ducks’ upset win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Eugene last Saturday. The transfer from Texas A&M picked up right where he left off in Friday night’s matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. 

Oregon cruised to a 35-0 victory vs. Purdue with much thanks to its electric offense and stout defense.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) catches a long pass under coverage from Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove (10) during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

"I think he keeps taking steps in the right direction," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said on Stewart. "He's a weapon that we need to be able to utilize. You know, I think about us last season, and early in the season, Troy was a real threat for people. But later on in the season, as the season went on, you know, Tez became a real threat for opponents. And whenever you're able to have multiple threats out there on the field, I think it becomes really hard to defend."

Evan Stewart Making Strides

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart has started to turn into a star for the high-powered Duck offense. Stewart had a breakout performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Stewart hauled in a season-high seven catches for a career-high149 yards and a touchdown. Stewart provided major highlights, including a career-long 69-yard reception, his second 50-plus yard reception of the season and the sixth for the Ducks.

Long story short, Stewart is emerging as an ever-present deep threat.

Building off this performance against Ohio State, Stewart made his presence felt early against the Purdue Boilermakers. On the Ducks’ opening drive, Stewart caught a beautiful 49-yard pass from Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel down the right sideline to set up a Jordan James touchdown.

Stewart went into the half as the Ducks leading receiver with three catches and 79 receiving yards. He finished with 96 yards and four receptions.

Stewart, second on the team in receptions to Tez Johnson, has made an immediate impact at Oregon. He is tied for the Big Ten lead with two 60-plus-yard receptions.

Ducks' Elite Wide Receiver Room

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) runs the ball past Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Botros Alisandro (19) during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks have an elite wide-receiving core. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has an abundance of weapons with receivers Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, and Traeshon Holden. Add in tight end Terrance Ferguson and running backs Jordan James and Noah Whittington, and you have arguable the best set of playmakers in college football.

Stewart finding his way makes this offense nearly unstoppable. They put up 32 points against the vaunted Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes were allowing only six points per game until they rolled into Eugene.

The Ducks hung 32 on them and now they look to continue that success for the remainder of the season. 

Oregon coach Dan Lanning praised Stewart's patience, after the win over the Buckeyes.

"Sometimes you don't know when your number's gonna be called," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the victory. "Not every play is designed to go to just one person. But I think Evan did a great job of taking advantage of the opportunities when the ball did get put in his direction, and he had opportunities to go make plays on the ball. There's been some other moments this year where he probably could have had those opportunities, and maybe the ball just didn't go his way. So he took advantage of those opportunities, and I certainly expect him to do that in the future." 

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