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CORVALLIS — It was a moment so bizarre and unbelievable that it had to come from a video game, right?
There’s no other way to describe Zakiah Saez’s 20-yard interception return for a touchdown, the first score in Oregon State’s 38-21 win over Purdue.
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Groundhog Day arrived early in Pennsylvania, where Punxsutawney James (Franklin) saw his shadow, which means another long winter for Penn State after again losing to Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions, who have not defeated the Buckeyes since 2016, dropped behind OSU and Indiana after Saturday’s 20-13 loss. Oregon remains No. 1. The biggest stress points are in Lincoln and Madison, where Nebraska and Wisconsin suddenly are in jeopardy of missing bowl season.
Last week: 1
This week: vs. Maryland
What to know: The Ducks’ voyage to regular-season perfection is smooth sailing with only Maryland, Wisconsin and rival Washington left to play.
Last week: 4
This week: vs. Purdue
What to know: With their season at a crossroads, the Buckeyes looked both ways against Penn State and then late in the game looked good both ways, on offense and defense.
Last week: 3
This week: vs. Michigan
What to know: Hand the conference coach of the year honor to Curt Cignetti now. No reason to wait. The Hoosiers are 9-0 for the first time in program history.
Last week: 2
This week: vs. Washington
What to know: : Penn State no longer controls its own destiny in the race to make the Big Ten title game, but the playoff remains probable, even if a deep playoff run does not.
Last week: 5
This week: at UCLA (Friday)
What to know: We’re not sure if the Hawkeyes are sneaky good or sneaky bad, but we’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Last week: 9
This week: at Rutgers.
What to know: A true test to see if the Golden Gophers are as good as their record. We think not, but Rutgers won’t prove us right.
Last week: 6
This week: idle
What to know: Once upon a time this season, Illinois surprised people. We’re no longer surprised. We figured the Illini eventually would fold like a cheap lawn chair..
Last week: 11
This week: at Penn State
What to know: The Huskies can take heart in a hopeful stat: Since 2017, Penn State is 3-3 the game after losing to Ohio State.
Last week: 10
This week: at Indiana
What to know: Michigan optimism: Nobody really knows if IU is that good. Michigan reality: Everybody knows the Wolverines aren’t that good..
Last week: 8
This week: idle
What to know: The last time the Badgers finished with a losing record (2001), Barry Alvarez still had hair. Don’t look now but a sub-.500 season remains a possibility.
Last week: 12
This week: idle
What to know: Green. White. Green. White. The chant you hear when Sparty waves the surrender flag on the field.
Last week: 16
This week: vs. Iowa (Friday)
What to know: News flash: UCLA is not awful. Still bad, yes, but not awful. Just ask Nebraska.
Last week: 13
This week: idle
What to know: Sitting here wondering if Lincoln Riley wishes he were back in Oklahoma. We hear the L.A. media wish he were.
Last week: 7
This week: idle
What to know: We’re not saying Nebraska is regressing into the Nebraska of Scott Frost, but we’re not not saying it, either.
Last week: 15
This week: idle
What to know: The Wildcats get a week off to celebrate their overtime win against Purdue. The party deserves to last 30 seconds.
Last week: 14
This week: at Oregon
What to know: The Terps always disappear in late fall, like a golf ball hiding under autumn.
Last week: 17
This week: Minnesota
What to know: Upset special: the Scarlet Knights are due. The Golden Gophers are doo-doo.
Last week: 18
This week: at Ohio State
What to know: What hurts more? Having to play Ohio State or being 18th in the first year of Big Ten expansion when rival Indiana is 9-0?
roller@dispatch.com
EUGENE — We are live from Matthew Knight Arena for tonight’s season opener between Oregon and UC Riverside.
The Ducks are favored by 16.5 or 17 points at all listed sportsbooks and the over/under is 144.5, according to Action Network.
Oregon is without forward Supreme Cook and guards Dezdrick Lindsay (shoulder) and Oleksandr Kobzystyi tonight.
Refresh this page to follow live updates from tonight’s game (7:30 p.m., B1G+)
HALFTIME: OREGON 51, UC RIVERSIDE 36
— Scoring: Evans 12, Angel, Bamba and Bittle 9 each, Shelstad and Tracey 5 each, Moss 2 | 10-0 UO on fast break, 24-8 UO in paint
— 9-0 Oregon run thanks to 4 UC Riverside turnovers
— UC Riverside racking up fouls in the closing minutes as Oregon picks up press defense
— Three-point play by Nate Bittle make it 47-34
— Kaleb Smith’s third foul with 2:45 to half
— Mookie Cook enters with 3:40 to go, leaving only freshman Jamari Phillips yet to play for UO
— 38-31 Oregon (U4: 3:53): Ducks up to 20-8 advantage in the paint
— Jackson Shelstad with 2 fouls at 5:13. Oregon with 3 fouls in less than 1:00. UC Riverside with two offensive rebounds off missed free throws.
— 8 Oregon players with 1 foul each at 5:26 to half
— 8-0 Oregon run, 34-28 UO. UC Riverside timeout (6:37)
— Tied at 28 (U8: 7:19): UC Riverside 5 of 10 from three. Oregon with 14-6 edge in paint.
— Oregon with a clear size advantage that Nate Bittle and Brandon Angel are exploiting
— Nate Bittle’s first basket of the season is a dunk off a pass from Jackson Shelstad. Snapped 0 for 4 start for Bittle.
— 16-15 Oregon (U12: 12:00): Ducks with 9-6 rebounding edge, 3-0 on offensive boards, but no second-chance points
— 10-9 Oregon (U16: 15:07): Kwame Evans Jr. with 7. Both teams shooting 50% from three early
— Oregon wins the tip
— Oregon starters: Jackson Shelstad, TJ Bamba, Brandon Angel, Kwame Evans Jr., Nate Bittle
Two teams with national title aspirations and two teams fighting to become bowl eligible will be featured on NBC Sports and Peacock during Week 12 in college football.
In a season full of firsts for the Big Ten, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers will do battle for the first time as conference rivals when they play on Nov. 16 at Camp Randall Stadium, with coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET and kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
But before Oregon and Wisconsin take the field, the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the Virginia Cavaliers at 3:30 p.m. ET, also on NBC Sports and Peacock.
The later game will be a rematch of the 2020 Rose Bowl, when Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert ran for three touchdowns to help his team beat Jonathan Taylor and Wisconsin 28-27.
The Ducks and Badgers have played six times, including the 2020 duel, with Wisconsin winning the first three games and Oregon winning the last three. Five of the six games have been decided a touchdown or less.
Led by star quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Oregon has been the best team in college football this season. They are 9-0 for the first time since 2012 after beating the Michigan Wolverines 38-17, and they will host the Maryland Terrapins before heading to Madison.
Wisconsin just suffered a big loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, falling 42-10 on the road and dropping to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. Coach Luke Fickell will have a bye week to work on improving his struggling offense and prepare for the Ducks.
Nov. 16 will mark the fifth time Virginia and Notre Dame have ever played. The Fighting Irish have scored at least 28 points and won the previous four matchups, including their most recent meeting, a 28-3 Notre Dame victory in 2021.
Notre Dame is 9-1, the winners of six consecutive games after falling to the Northern Illinois Huskies on Sept. 7. Coach Marcus Freeman’s squad will likely earn a berth in the College Football Playoff if they win their final four games, which include a home matchup with the Florida State Seminoles before a date with Virginia.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea and the Cavaliers have lost their last three games, sliding to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play. They had a bye to get ready for their Week 11 road game against the 7-1 Pittsburgh Panthers.
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