No. 3 Oregon struggles but beats Idaho 24-14

Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns in his Oregon debut, but the third-ranked Ducks struggled in their first game as Big Ten members before beating resilient Idaho 24-14 on Saturday night.

While the win wasn’t as decisive as expected, Oregon extended its non-conference home winning streak to a national record 33 games. Oregon has won 20 consecutive home openers.

Oregon led 14-0 at halftime, but Idaho cut the deficit on Jack Layne’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Jake Cox. After Oregon’s field goal, Layne rushed for a 4-yard TD to make it 17-14.

Gabriel found Tez Johnson with a 12-yard scoring pass midway through the final quarter to salvage the win.

The takeaway meal

Idaho was projected to finish third in the Big Sky in the preseason after a 9-4 season that included a run to the FCS playoff quarterfinals. The Vandals’ defense looks to be a strength once again. Last season, the Vandals ranked 14th among FCS teams nationally, allowing just 306.8 total offensive yards to opponents. All four of Idaho’s starting defensive linemen return for this season.

Oregon, with its highest preseason ranking since 2014, was a 44 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM College Football Opportunities — but the Ducks looked rusty against the Vandals. Oregon finished 12-2 last season, and came close to making the playoffs before losing to rival Washington in the final Pac-12 championship gameOregon closed out the season with a 45-6 victory over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl.

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Next

Idaho: Starts the season with four of the first five games away. After the trip to Eugene, the Vandals visit Wyoming next Saturday.

Oregon: Hosts Boise State next Saturday, then visits in-state rival Oregon State, one of two teams left in the Pac-12 after the conference collapsed due to realignment.