The Oregon Ducks and Illinois Fighting Illini share a brief history together on the football field, and one that the Ducks have owned. This season, neither team is having the campaign they hoped for, and both could be forced to use backup quarterbacks to run their offenses.
Illinois had a bye week to work freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II into the starting offense, while the Ducks staged a fourth-quarter comeback at home last week in a late-night win over Nebraska, in which former Cornhusker quarterback Dylan Raiola tossed the winning score.
Oregon is a road favorite as the Ducks fly to the Midwest and land in Champaign for the first time in more than three decades. However, the spread has shrunk in recent days, likely due to the uncertainty
around Dante Moore's availability and the arrest of the team's leading receiver, Evan Stewart. The Ducks haven't played in Champaign since 1993, but the program has seen fans travel well to games in the Midwest since joining the Big Ten, so there should be some friendly faces in the crowd.
The Ducks and Illini first met in 1970 in a game in Champaign. Neither team finished with a great record that year, but they did play a competitive game in an early-season matchup. The Illini, led by head coach Jim Valek, pulled off the 20-16 upset victory over the Ducks for their only win over Oregon in series history.
Illinois received a massive effort from quarterback Mike Wells in the win. Wells scored two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing, and made a pair of field goals, pulling double-duty as the Illini's kicker. Illinois built a 20-7 lead before the Ducks, led by quarterback Dan Fouts and running back Bobby Moore, rallied to bring the Ducks within a score before ultimately coming up short.
Since then, the Ducks have owned the series. Oregon and Illinois didn't play again until 1993, when the Ducks last played in Champaign. In a low-scoring defensive struggle, the Ducks came out on top with a 13-7 win. Quarterback Danny O'Neil led the way with 269 passing yards for the Ducks and one touchdown, an 87-yard strike to tight end Willy Tate in the second quarter.
𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 - 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒@vmckinley23 sits down with Jaiya Figueras to look back on his memorable 1995 performance vs. Illinois. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/TU1QJhQvAH
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) October 25, 2024
Two years later, the home-and-home series was completed when Illinois made its first-ever trip to Eugene. In the first home game with Mike Bellotti as head coach, Oregon had to overcome another early deficit, trailing 25-14 at home midway through the third quarter. The Ducks staged a second-half comeback with running back Ricky Whittle, who scored three touchdowns on the ground and finished the game with 140 yards from scrimmage.
The big swing in the game came midway through the fourth quarter, when Illinois quarterback Johnny Johnson fumbled the ball and Oregon defensive back Jaiya Figueras scooped it up in the end zone for the eventual winning score, keeping the Ducks undefeated on the young season with a 34-31 win.
29 years later, Oregon and Illinois met as conference foes in 2024. Oregon dominated the Illini from the jump, winning 38-9 en route to an undefeated regular season and a Big Ten championship in year one in the conference. Dillon Gabriel tossed three touchdowns and Tez Johnson made six catches for 102 yards and a score.
DILLON GABRIEL TO TEZ JOHNSON. What a start for Oregon. pic.twitter.com/3HLUS1ndyv
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 26, 2024
The Ducks took their foot off the gas after building a 35-3 lead at halftime. Noah Whittington and Jordan James both had big days on the ground as Oregon finished with 229 rushing yards. The defense also racked up four sacks, including one each by Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti, and a pair of interceptions.
Oregon will head back to Champaign for the first time since 1993 and look to extend its win streak over the Illini to four games. The game on Oct. 24 is set to kick off at noon PT and will air live on Big Ten Network.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon seeking to extend win streak vs. Illinois in series history
