Questionable Officiating Oregon Ducks vs. Maryland: Unsportsmanlike Conduct After Dillon Gabriel Hit

The Oregon Ducks committed 12 penalties for 95 penalty yards in a 39-18 win over the Maryland Terrapins, including a questionable pass interference call by the officials in the first quarter. Then after a possible late hit on quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Oregon offensive lineman Nishad Strother retaliated and pushed the Maryland defender. That turned into a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call.

Oregon defensive end Jordan Burch forces a fumble from Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks committed 12 penalties for 95 penalty yards in a 39-18 win over the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday night at Autzen Stadium. The officiating crew made some questionable penalty calls that extended drives for the Maryland offense. It was a rough start on special teams for the Ducks as well.

Oregon committed seven penalties that led to Maryland first downs.

One that caused a huge swing of momentum in the fourth quarter... After a possible late hit on quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Oregon offensive lineman Nishad Strother retaliated and pushed a Maryland defender. That turned into a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call and forced Oregon to punt.

Lanning: “We Can Be A Lot Better” 

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning watches a play against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks took a 21-10 lead into the half against the visiting Maryland Terrapins. Even with the double-digit halftime lead, Ducks’ coach Dan Lanning was adamant that the Ducks can be much better.

“Yeah, you know, it’s poor, poor, poor performance for us," Lanning said about Oregon's penalties after beating Maryland. "We got to go back and look at the film and figure out how we can eliminate that. We didn’t play clean so I don’t know if we were distracted."

"We weren’t focused, you know, I feel like our guys had good energy and enthusiasm, but we put ourselves in some bad spots on defense, giving them opportunities for first downs and hurt ourselves with some pre-snap penalties on offense. So, it’s definitely something for us to tackle,” Lanning continued.

Oregon has not faced much adversity of late, so learning how to bounce back from these mistakes could be a good thing moving forward.

Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson carries the ball for the Ducks as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ducks Making Careless Mistakes

On the opening drive of the game, the Ducks forced a Maryland three and out. While Maryland was punting on fourth down, Oregon roughed the Maryland punter, giving the Terrapins an automatic first down. Maryland ended up driving for a field goal on that drive. 

The Ducks had their own three and out to start the game. Oregon had a bad punt off the side of punter Ross James’s foot and only traveled 32 yards. 

Luckily for the Ducks, their defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out. However, on the punt, Oregon's Evan Stewart muffed it and got lucky to retain possession.

This would not be the last mistake Oregon would make. On the lone Maryland touchdown drive in the first half, the Ducks committed multiple drive-extending penalties. Oregon defensive back Tysheem Johnson committed some questionable defensive pass interference penalties to keep the drive going. There was also a facemask called on the Ducks’ defensive lineman Derrick Harmon during a sack. 

In the fourth quarter on third down and goal, a defensive holding call on Oregon's Brandon Johnson in the end zone gave Maryland a first down. On the next play, Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. completed a three-yard touchdown pass to Octavian Smith Jr.

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