2 weeks Ago
Not only is Dillon Gabriel leading the No. 1 Oregon Ducks into national championship contention, he is also cementing himself as one of the most prolific passers college football has ever seen. A former three-star out of Mililani, Hawaii, Gabriel got his start at UCF in 2019.
After three seasons with the Knights, Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma as a junior. He went on to pass for 6,828 yards in two seasons as a Sooner, the sixth-best mark in program history. The first-team All-Big 12 selection made a huge splash in the offseason when he elected to exit Norman for Oregon.
The Ducks had just lost starter Bo Nix to the NFL draft and Gabriel provided an instant boost to the position. Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Gabriel and the Ducks have won eight strait games to start the season, including a massive victory over No. 4 Ohio State But Gabriel won't be able forget his performance against No.
20 Illinois on Saturday. Gabriel's 291 passing yards was good enough to propel him into legendary status as the second-leading passer in FBS history (17,236 yards). Gabriel passed former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang (17,072) to move into second place all-time behind former Houston quarterback Case Keenum (19,217).
Despite his historic numbers, Gabriel stayed humble when asked about passing Chang on the list. "Dude, I'm chasing wins, man," he said in a postgame press conference. One could argue that Gabriel's length career (6 seasons) has allowed him to pad the stat sheet, but his career mark is certainly impressive nonetheless.
Gabriel has now amassed 2,080 passing yards with 19 total touchdowns to four interceptions on the season. His 77% completion percentage leads the country. Given Oregon's success and Gabriel's stellar play, it's not hard to imagine him making the Heisman Trophy ceremony and potentially taking home the award for the program's first nod since Marcus Mariota, also a Hawaii native, won in 2014.
Gabriel (+320) currently trails Miami quarterback Cam Ward (+180) in Heisman odds, per FanDuel . But the award will have to wait for now as the Ducks prepare to finish out the regular season. Following the 38-9 drubbing of Illinois, Oregon will travel to Michigan (4-3) for a Big Ten matchup in Week 10.
Related: Cam Ward Projected to Replace Disappointing $37 Million NFL Draft Bust.
