Oregon
Oregon Ducks’ Dillon Gabriel Chance To Join Marcus Mariota In Oregon History
Dillon Gabriel has led the Oregon Ducks to a 10-0 overall record and the No. 1 ranking the for the past four weeks. The Hawaiian native has thrown for 22 touchdowns (tied for No. 6 in the nation) on 2,848 passing yards (No. 8 in the nation) this season so far. His 74.1 completion rate (No. 1 in the nation) and 168.38 passer rating (No. 6 in the nation) are the stats that have stood out the most from his remarkable campaign.
Because of his efforts, he’s being considered as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy plus was announced as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. Adding to this long list of honors, he’s now being considered for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award which is given to the top senior at the quarterback position in college football.
Joining Gabriel as the finalists for this award are Ole Miss Running Rebels Jaxson Dart, Colorado Buffaloes Shedeur Sanders, Miami Hurricanes Cam Ward, and Indiana Hoosiers Kurtis Rourke. Gabriel isn’t the first Duck to be considered for the Johnny Unitas Award. Only Marcus Mariota in 2014 has actually won it, but Joey Harrington (2001), Kellen Clemons (2005), Dennis Dixon (2007), Justin Herbert (2019, Anthony Brown Jr. (2021), and Bo Nix (2022 and 2023) were all named finalists.
Gabriel recently broke the NCAA’s all-time record for total touchdowns with 180 total throughout his career spent with the UCF Golden Knights, Oklahoma Sooners, and Oregon. He passed Houston’s Case Keenum previous record of 178 total last week during the 39-18 victory over the Maryland Terrapins.
Gabriel is on the precipice of two major NCAA awards. Gabriel is just three starts by a quarterback away from breaking former Duck Nix’s all-time record at 61 which he should have full control of at some point this season. Gabriel will now set his sights on Keenum’s all-time record for touchdown passes of 155, entering Saturday with 147 in his career.
“You can’t go through that game without recognizing, you know, having the all-time NCAA touchdown record for Dillon Gabriel and what he was able to accomplish there. He’ll be the first one to tell you he doesn’t care, but he should, because that’s a really special moment for him.”
– Coach Dan Lanning after Maryland-Oregon
Coach Dan Lanning and his quarterback have bigger things to worry about than individual awards and records. Oregon will play at Wisconsin this Saturday, Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. PT.
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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