2 days Ago By Julia Stumbaugh
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel may have bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy with a record-setting performance on Saturday night. Gabriel threw his 179th career touchdown pass to mark the most in FBS history while leading the Ducks to an 39-18 win over visiting Maryland. The previous record of 178 career passing touchdowns had been held by Houston's Case Keenum since 2011.
The historic pass came with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter as Gabriel connected with offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson in the end zone. Gabriel had tied Keenum's record earlier that night with a touchdown pass to tight end Terrance Ferguson in the final seconds of the first half. He added one more to the new record total with his 180th career touchdown pass to Evan Stewart in the fourth quarter.
Gabriel finished the night having gone 23-of-34 for 184 yards and three touchdowns. The outing helped the Ducks improve to 10-0 but marked Gabriel's lowest passing yards total of the season. His chances of winning the Heisman could still remain strong, especially after Miami and Cam Ward struggled in a Saturday loss to Georgia Tech.
The Ducks quarterback entered Week 11 as a top-three favorite for the award, according to FanDuel Sportsbook . Gabriel is playing in his sixth college season after three years at UCF and two with Oklahoma. In 60 games over that span, he has racked up 17,714 passing yards, second only to Keenum for the most in FBS history.
Oregon will likely hold on to its No. 1 ranking as Gabriel and the Ducks prepare for a road game next Saturday against unranked Wisconsin. This Saturday's win means the team remains on track for a Big Ten championship game bid and a potential first-round bye in the CFP.
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