EUGENE, Ore. — The vibe king of college football is in his natural element. He’s leaning forward in his chair inside Oregon’s quarterback room, fresh out of a Tuesday morning practice with the No. 1 team in the country. Dillon Gabriel feels right at home in this space as he picks through a takeout box of crispy chicken, beef teriyaki, rice and macaroni salad.

“It’s everything I thought it would be and more, honestly,” Gabriel said of his season with the Ducks.

A six-year journey of quarterbacking across the country has brought him here to chase an unforgettable ending. The Ducks are three wins away from their first-ever national championship. They’ve come this far with a QB who has truly seen it all since he moved from Hawaii to begin college in 2019.

Through stops at UCF, Oklahoma and now Oregon, Gabriel has become the most experienced starting quarterback in major college football history. He achieved 10-plus-win seasons at all three schools and has been an all-conference performer in three different leagues.

“He’s doing stuff no one’s ever done,” Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson said.

Gabriel already owns the NCAA record for total touchdowns (187), and he’s about to break another record. He has thrown 153 career touchdown passes and enters the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl against Ohio State (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) just three touchdowns away from surpassing Case Keenum’s FBS record. He could become the NCAA’s all-time leading passer, too, if the Ducks go all the way.

Finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty was an honor but one he was never chasing. The mission was championships. That’s the only thing Gabriel hasn’t achieved over six seasons and more than 4,300 career snaps.

As Gabriel closes in on rings, records and the final days of a 63-game college career, ESPN sat down with the Ducks’ quarterback and also asked the players who know him best — the teammates who have hauled in those 153 touchdowns — to reflect on where he began, what he gained and lost, and who he became in the process of chasing greatness across the sport.

“God’s got a weird way of just putting you where you need to be,” Gabriel said. “My goal is to just trust that and have a sense of peace knowing that what happens will be. It’s about how can I give myself the best shot by the way I work, coming in every day, not wasting a day. There really is no tomorrow. Why wait for it?

“That’s kind of been my motto for this year. And that’s all because of the s— I’ve been through.”

Part 1: UCF

Back in 2019, coach Josh Heupel was leading UCF in the American Athletic Conference, four seasons before the program joined the Big 12. Name, image and likeness compensation was still two years away. The Knights were searching for a QB entering 2019 while McKenzie Milton recovered from devastating leg injury. Dillon Gabriel, a true freshman from Hawai’i, was making a push to play right away.

UCF WR Marlon Williams: There’s a reason why Dillon had to step in and play as a freshman. D.J. Mack Jr. was our starting quarterback. He was playing intramural basketball at the rec at UCF right before camp and broke his ankle. The coaches made sure there was no more basketball after that. I think they used to have coaches pop in over there randomly just to make sure we weren’t there.

I was like, ‘Aw man, this is going to be a long season.’ But after we saw Dillon throw it around a couple times, we were like, ‘Oh, we’ll be fine.’

UCF WR Tre Nixon: His energy was contagious. He was excited to be out there. You could tell he’s passionate about football. I think a guy coming in as a freshman and having that same energy every single day, being around someone like that brings the fun back into football. That’s the first thing I noticed about Dillon that was different from every other freshman.

Williams: He was still a young guy, a little immature. But we all saw he was going to be the player he is today. That’s why he played.

UCF RB Adrian Killins Jr.: Any chance Dillon got, he wanted to compete. He wasn’t being arrogant or anything like that. He was just trying to bring a different element to the team.

I’ll never forget, we were in training camp his freshman year and he was worried he didn’t have a good camp and fell in the depth chart. He was down on himself, being very negative, and that’s normal. I told him, ‘Bro, you got to stop being so soft. Stop being so sensitive. Toughen up. Just compete. Just go out there and be you.’

QB Dillon Gabriel: He’s like, ‘Get out your feelings, bro. Stop pouting and s—.’ My young, competitive freshman self was a little emotionally uncontrollable. He was like the Yoda for me.

Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush won the starting job out of fall camp, but Gabriel would play in the season opener as well and led four touchdown drives in a 62-0 win over Florida A&M. He started the rest of the way for a 10-3 team.

Gabriel: Whether I liked it or not, it kept me hungry and kept me working. I remember [Heupel] told the team: Brandon is going to be our starter, but Dillon is going to play the third drive. I was like, ‘F—.’ But who would I be to be mad about that when I still have my opportunity to go show what I can do?

Williams: He was definitely supposed to be our starter.

Gabriel: That first time you get out there, it’s like the oblivious kind of thought process. You really don’t know what to expect, so you’re just doing. That gave me some peace of mind. Just go play and learn. It allowed me to flourish. You learn throughout that time but, as a freshman, you’re a little more reckless.

Nixon: The freshman year Dillon I knew was more playing around and funny to be around and joking. When he got thrown to the wolves and now he has to start producing, you could see the transition in his maturity level.

Gabriel: The growing pains were real. I didn’t get the privilege to learn on a practice field. I learned in front of everyone. They had to see it all, and some of it was really good. I loved the experience because it’s made me such a different human being now.

But there is a lot that comes with it, a lot you don’t even think about. You have to manage it while being a college student and a kid and figuring out who you really want to be. How can you be authentic but be a leader and push and all this while being 18 years old?

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One thing Gabriel didn’t have to worry about was having talent to throw to at UCF. Williams would become his go-to receiver with 119 completions for 1,715 yards and 15 TDs. But Gabriel was challenged early on by receiver Gabriel Davis, the future fourth-round pick now playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gabriel: Gabe was like the big brother. He kind of teased me a little bit, poked fun at me, which I loved, too. He was a junior going to the pros and was so driven and you’d see the way he worked. He’d come up to me like, ‘Throw me the f—ing ball.’

Williams: Gabe used to go off on him. He’s like, ‘Man, please throw me the ball.’ It wasn’t nothing bad, but I get it. Gabe was trying to go to the league. So he’s like, ‘Man, make sure you throw me the ball.’ And Dillon was like, ‘Man, why is he like that?’

Gabriel: He was physical and fearless. He would point people out in one-on-ones like, ‘Get over here.’ Like nobody does that. He’s like, ‘I want you.’ Then he’d go kill you in a route and then give you the ball.

Williams: You got to watch how you talk. Dillon is an alpha, don’t get me wrong, but he’s from Hawai’i. It’s a little bit nicer out there. His freshman year, he used to be like, ‘Bro, relax, Gabe.’ And he’d hear, ‘Nah man, throw me the ball!’

Gabriel: But I respected it. And I look back at it like, man, I wish I could adopt that mentality sooner, you know? He’s a big part in my journey because of that.

Williams: I think that helped him as a player. He’ll be really prepared when he goes to the league. He won’t hear anything new, I’ll tell you that.

Gabriel: I love Gabe to death and how he opened my eyes up. I needed to be challenged at that age — by a friend, too, and not a coach.

Killins: That jump from Year 1 to Year 2 for Dillon, it was legit night and day with the way he carried himself more like a professional and the way he talked.

Williams: I think Dillon is a great leader because there were a lot of great leaders at UCF. You had to be a leader or somebody that took care of business to play. He got to learn it from a lot of guys, especially McKenzie.

McKenzie Milton was the one who persuaded Heupel to recruit Gabriel to UCF. He mentored Gabriel throughout his first two years before transferring to Florida State after the 2020 season.

Nixon: McKenzie is a one-of-a-kind person. To have him mentor you and let you know the ins and outs, what he sees on a play, I can only imagine how much that helped Dillon from a preparation standpoint and feeling more confident from day to day.

Gabriel: And did he have to? F— no. He didn’t have to do anything. But he went out of his way, and I love him for it. That’s my brother for life.

Killins: It was nothing but love between them. It was next man up, I’m passing the torch to you, let’s keep this thing going.

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The first touchdown pass of Gabriel’s career was to Otis Anderson Jr., UCF’s versatile running back and receiver. He would connect with Anderson for two more scores that season. Gabriel also found a reliable target in tight end Jake Hescock, whom he’d throw five touchdowns to during his career. Tragedies later befell both teammates.

Anderson died on Nov. 29, 2021. The 23-year-old was fatally shot in the chest by his father during an argument. Otis Anderson Sr. pled guilty to armed manslaughter and was sentenced to 12½ years in prison.

Williams: We were in the group chat and Otis texted us the night of like, ‘Man, I’ll talk to y’all later.’ I went to sleep and, two hours later, he was gone.

Gabriel: He was just a great kid and a great dude. It’s like… you question it, right? Why certain people, when they literally do no wrong? Everyone loved Otis. You can ask anyone, and that’s even if he was still here on this Earth, they’d have not one bad thing to say about Otis, because he’s just amazing. He was a running back/receiver/returner, a great player in that way, but he was a great person and you just loved being around him. He made you feel better. He was quieter, so when he talked, you felt special.

🚨 DIME ALERT 🚨@_dillongabriel_👉 @Gumby_football

pic.twitter.com/woiwCtvG34

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 30, 2019

Williams: It’s the reason why I still play. I know one of my teammates was still playing, still chasing his dream.

A year later, the teammates lost Hescock. He died suddenly of cardiac arrest on Dec. 11, 2022, while jogging in Boston. He was 25.

Gabriel: God, this one hurts. When I left UCF, he’s a guy who’d reach out and call me. He was supposed to come out to an Oklahoma game and see us. He was a guy who’s always been supportive. I remember going over to his house for UFC fights. It’s just crazy, you know? He wasn’t the freakiest player. He was OK with not going to the league and enjoyed his college career. He was for the boys.

Nixon: Hescock was another guy who made football fun. Football’s a tough sport when you’re out there in that 90-degree weather with pads on, hitting all day, sweating, cramping up. Having guys on the team like Hescock, Otis and Dillon, those positive energies, it makes football fun and it makes it worth going through that struggle with your team.

Life is just so precious, man. I just wish I could go back and spend more time with them, hang out with them more, get to know them better. I know they’re in a better place now, and I just hope their families find some type of peace through these tough times.

Gabriel: He always tried to look out for me and make me feel supported as a young quarterback. It goes a long way. He went out of his way. That’s why it hurts, too. I love him and my heart goes out to his family, because he was just a good dude.

Williams: After that, we made it a point that if any of us are in town or we know we’re in the same area, we’ve got to hang out. It definitely made teammates a lot closer. Earlier today, me and [Killins] and a couple guys were in our group message reminiscing on the old times. We do that all the time, and I think it’s because of what happened. Of course we were always close, but that was that extra push to make sure, hey, y’all stay in touch with each other.

We still talk about them. It’s still tough sometimes, but I think it’s easier when you’ve got guys you can confide in and talk about it with.

Killins: They were so young. Life is just crazy, man. I still talk to both of their families, Otis’ mom and Jake’s mom.

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Three games into his junior season, Gabriel suffered a season-ending fractured clavicle on the final play of a loss to Louisville. After focusing on his recovery for two months, he was ready for a fresh start and entered the transfer portal.

Years later, though, he wishes his three years at UCF had a different ending.

Gabriel: I was young, and I feel like they didn’t get to see the me that was more mature, more experienced, more knowledgeable about life and football. I just love that place. I had that special relationship with McKenzie and so many great coaches, so many great people. And then it was, like, anticlimactic. Like the finish was like a dot dot dot. You didn’t even get the ending, you know?

Nixon: Any teammate that’s been around Dillon can attest to this: The dude is just fun to be around. You want to play hard for him. He’s one of them guys who truly tries to get to know you on a personal level and cares about you as a person. I think nowadays that’s very rare. You can’t really tell what’s real and what’s fake anymore. But with Dillon, he’s been the same guy from the moment he was a freshman. He’s still the same guy and he’s leading Oregon, the undefeated No. 1 team in the nation.

Killins: Every time he got the chance, he’d say, ‘Love you bro.’ And I’m like, ‘Bro, I get it, I love you too.’ But that’s just Dillon. He’s going to show you that love, because that’s just who he is and that’s just the type of family background he comes from. That’s just Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel: There were ups and downs, ebbs and flows, but that place will forever mean so much to me. Because I grew up, you know? I grew up there. It was like the welcome-to-the-show moment. I gave my heart and everything for that place. I truly did.

Part 2: Oklahoma

Upon entering the transfer portal, it looked likely Gabriel would head to Ole Miss to reunite with Jeff Lebby, his former UCF offensive coordinator. When Lebby left for Oklahoma, Gabriel committed to UCLA. Thirty minutes before he boarded his flight to move to Los Angeles, Gabriel got a call from Lebby. Caleb Williams was leaving OU. Lebby needed him in Norman.

He arrived in January 2022 as the program embarked on a new era under first-time head coach Brent Venables following coach Lincoln Riley’s shocking decision to bolt for USC.

Gabriel: It was so last minute, literally down to the wire. But you kind of have that blind faith. I trusted in Leb and where that was going. I wasn’t really comfortable with the decision I’d made prior, so I did it. But it being so last minute, there was just so much everyone had to learn. We’re learning a whole new offense, kind of piecing together what we’re good at. We’re still finding our daily routine, how we’re going to practice. There was just so much we had to adjust to in Year 1.

Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson: In my first couple weeks there, he was in the weight room and I walked in, and there were some recruits around. I was like, ‘Are you visiting this place?’ He was like, ‘Nah, bro. I’m the quarterback. I’m Dillon.’ I was like, ‘Oh shoot! What’s good? Nice to meet you.’ I thought he was one of the recruits because he’s a little on the shorter side. I thought he was looking at the place, still in high school or something.

Oklahoma WR Drake Stoops: There was a lot of uncertainty in the air at this point, and we needed a quarterback, obviously. I remember my coach telling me, hey, we got somebody who has thrown for so many yards and touchdowns, that he’s a baller. I was really excited. Honestly, he couldn’t have been a better fit for that time and to ease everybody’s minds.

I had no idea what he was going to be like. And then he showed up and blew away all expectations.

Gabriel devoted a ton of extra time to throwing sessions with his pass catchers, even hosting a Dime Time retreat in the summer that became an annual tradition for Gabriel. Receivers remember them well: Lots of throwing in the indoor practice facility with Gabriel’s boom box blasting.

Stoops: When the coaches couldn’t be around us in the offseason, he was able to teach all of us receivers the routes, the signals and everything and kind of install it for us. He was really a perfect fit in terms of his confidence, his outgoingness to get to know new teammates, to be a leader, to establish himself in the locker room.

Gabriel: At our throwing sessions it would consistently be Drake, Jayden Gibson and Jalil Farooq.

Stoops: I’d try to be at every single one. Because, for one, Dillon’s just a jackass. For two, he’d bring his big boom box speaker.

Oklahoma TE Austin Stogner: He’d carry around that boom box speaker and blast that thing everywhere.

Stoops: He’d be playing all his weird EDM songs and he’d be dancing and all this s—. It just became just a very fun thing to be around.

Anderson: Any time there’s any type of music on, he’s busting a move. It might not be the best move, but he’s busting it. I don’t know if he’s still on it, but he had a UK rap stint that he was on. That was his thing. He always had that on repeat.

Stogner: He loved British rap. He thought he was one with the British culture because he listened to British rap.

Anderson: I’m not gonna lie, he introduced me to it and some of the songs were fire.

Stogner: It’s truly unreal, his music selection. He’s got an unlimited clip in there with different types of songs. He’s going to have a strong career in the DJ world if football doesn’t work out.

The roster was gutted by offseason attrition and the Sooners struggled through a 6-7 season, the program’s first losing season since 1998. It created intense scrutiny on Venables and his team following the program’s recent run of Big 12 titles.

Gabriel: It was a s—show for sure. But if you look at those games, it was a bunch of tight-score games that didn’t go our way. We just weren’t good in situations and details. I think we just learned from those moments as a team and got better.

Anderson: Off the field, Dillon is a goofy, charismatic guy. But as soon as he straps on that helmet, it’s like a whole new presence. I feel like that really helped us as a team mold together. He was coolheaded in tough situations. He was just somebody you could really rally behind.

Stoops: The mindset in the offseason was we’re going to bust our ass, we’re going to throw more, we’re going to meet more, we’re going to study last year’s tape and fix any mistakes going into this year. We wanted to have a really good rapport and an understanding of each other as quarterbacks and as receivers. And, I mean, it definitely showed going into that second year.

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No moment was more memorable in Oklahoma’s 10-win 2023 season than the final minute against rival Texas in the Cotton Bowl. That’s when Gabriel orchestrated the first and only game-winning go-ahead drive of his career.

Stoops: That was one of my favorite moments of my entire time at Oklahoma. Because the year before that, we got beat 49-0. Texas came in the next year thinking that s— was sweet. And it wasn’t.

Stogner: The year after they got beat 49-0 by Texas, we’d do these situps with a medicine ball. We’d do 49 every single time, just about every session.

Stoops: When we were all on the sidelines and looking at each other, I don’t know why, but I had a crazy confidence. I’m looking at Dillon and he’s looking stoic as can be. I’m looking at Austin Stogner and he’s like, ‘Hey, we’ve been here before.’ All these OU-Texas games would end up like this.

Anderson: When you get in those tough situations in a game, you see how serious and passionate Dillon is. It just makes you want to fight a little extra harder, a little extra inch just for him.

Gabriel: In that game, crazy s— happens all the time.

After Texas took a 30-27 lead, Oklahoma’s offense took over with 1:17 left and no timeouts. Gabriel drove them 75 yards in five plays. After two quick completions, he scrambled and hit Stoops for a 28-yard gain into the red zone. He fired the game winner to Anderson in the back corner of the end zone.

Sooner Magic ✨#OUDNA | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/g46vRAJngI

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023

Anderson: We ran the same play on the first play of that drive. We ran it again and it just happened to pop open. If we’re being honest, it was bad communication on the defense. That’s why the motion was there, just to get some confusion back there and it worked perfectly. We had Walter Rouse, our left tackle, hold up two guys. And then Dillon, off his back foot, midair, throws it to the back corner last second.

Stoops: I’ve never been in an atmosphere like that. It absolutely erupted. You want to talk about a game-winning drive in the most crucial moment in one of the biggest games in all of college football? That man Dillon was as stoic as could be.

Gabriel: Nic’s the most elite receiver I’ve been around in terms of physical traits. I ain’t seen a guy built like him: size, speed, strength, hands, physicality, everything you want. I’m glad he caught that, because that’s a guy I’ll never forget.

Anderson: It was really special for me to do it with him. Coming in as a freshman, he always had kind words to say — especially when I was going through some of my injuries — and he was always picking my head up and making sure I knew my potential and what I could be.

Gabriel: We had a 10-2 season, and even that wasn’t really the standard, you know what I mean? We wanted to be in the Big 12 championship and go in the playoff, but we fell 8 points short.

Gabriel went into 2023 believing it would be his final college season. He had his best season yet, putting up 4,033 total yards and 42 touchdowns with just six interceptions to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors. Despite that, draft feedback for the undersized gunslinger wasn’t favorable. He received a seventh round/undrafted grade and no Senior Bowl invite. He was devastated and had to rethink his plan, and an opportunity emerged with Oregon that he couldn’t turn down.

Gabriel: I thought I was going to go to the NFL. The transfer, of course, was different from what I thought was going to happen. But I was able to say goodbye to Leb and the coaches and the players this time.

Stogner: I think fans get it confused when a player leaves. They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re not cheering for that guy.’ But guys on the team have personal relationships and want nothing but good things for him. It’s been awesome to see that he’s done so well, and it’s not a surprise for anyone who knows what Dillon is about.

Anderson: I was really lucky to play with a quarterback that experienced and that technical with his type of mindset early in my career. He set the bar really, really high.

Stoops: I’ve never really seen him have a bad day. He hates to lose more than anything, but you don’t see that guy have a bad day. People really gravitate towards that. You don’t meet a lot of people like that. It’s no wonder that everybody loves him. He’s just a light to everybody.

Stogner: It was a totally different locker room under him. The vibes are always high with DG.

Part 3: Oregon

Gabriel is continuing Marcus Mariota’s legacy of Hawaiian QBs in Eugene, but he didn’t come to chase records or awards. For all his achievements, he’d never played in a conference championship game or a playoff game. This year, he’s chasing rings.

The Ducks came up short in last year’s Pac-12 title game against Washington and watched the Huskies play for a national title. Oregon reloaded for 2024, replacing first-round pick Bo Nix with the most experienced QB who has ever entered the portal.

Gabriel: I just think a sixth year is so unique. Not a lot of people have done it. You’ve got to be around people you trust, people who understand. There are a lot of vets here. It’s probably the oldest team I’ve been on. They’re mature. They handle success well and they handle adversity well.

Oregon HC Dan Lanning: Everyone told me that he was zero frills. He just wanted to know about football, what the situation looks like and he cares about his family. That’s exactly what it was. It wasn’t going to be about what his locker looked like when he got here or the unbelievable facilities we have. None of that mattered to him. It’s who am I going to get to throw to? What are we going to be running? Will my family be able to get here to watch me play?

Oregon AD Rob Mullens: You feel like you’re talking to a 30-year-old. He’s just very mature, very articulate, high self-awareness. He’s mature and wise beyond his years. He’s got a high emotional intelligence. He gets it. He understands how teams work.

Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson: I was still kind of in between putting my name into the draft or coming back for my senior year, and honestly I was leaning more towards leaving. He called me when I was back home and gave me the recruiting spiel about why I should come back for one more year. Knowing that you have a guy like that is kind of a big part of why I came back.

He said he wanted to win something worth winning. That was the biggest thing. He wanted to win something special.

Gabriel just turned 24 over the weekend. He’s engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Zo Caswell, who made the move with him to the Pacific Northwest. And he’s driving a minivan, a white Chrysler Pacifica, around town. He preferred the gas mileage and extra seating for teammates.

Oregon WR Evan Stewart: He showed me the minivan first when he got it. That’s him. That’s just him. He’s a family guy. He said he wanted to have a minivan to be able to maneuver all his family around whenever they came for games. You can’t knock it.

Oregon WR Tez Johnson: It’s perfect for him. He’s a short guy. You see him in a minivan and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, there goes Dillon.’ Then he comes and pulls up, honks the horn, music blasting. He’s a different guy. He’s a different cat.

Ferguson: I end up driving it sometimes. He’s from Hawai’i and … he’s not the greatest driver. But I’ve spent a lot of time in the van. We’re neighbors, so we end up carpooling every once in a while.

He cares a lot about everybody on the team. It doesn’t matter if you’re a walk-on kicker or the starting receiver. He cares about that person and has good conversation with them. He won the whole team over by just being that guy, by being himself.

Johnson: He came in and accepted that our judgment was very, very hard on any quarterback that came in. You got to think, the year before, who our quarterback was. Coming in, to be able to separate yourself from who was there before, it’s a different feeling. I can only imagine what he thought. But we welcomed him in with open arms, but I told him, ‘You’re not a real Duck until you play your first game here.’ He was like, ‘Oh, I accept it.’ And from there, it’s been … skyrocket.

Johnson said they go into every game aiming to be the fastest and most explosive team in college football.

Gabriel: It’s probably the most dynamic receiver group I’ve had. At UCF, we had a lot of vertical speed. OU was size and speed outside, a little smaller and shifty inside. Over here, I feel like we have a dynamic group of guys that have their abilities and do different things and all bring something to the table. And then, ball in hand, they’re pretty special. You can throw it 5 yards and they’ll turn it into something big.

Johnson: It can turn into backyard football at times. You run around throwing the football like recess. But we also work on scramble drills. If Dillon scrambles one way, we know exactly what point to get to and what time we need to get to it and he hits it. That’s how he separates himself.

Gabriel: Tez is explosive fast. He’s long-speed fast. He can accelerate. He has stop-and-go ability. You can’t even talk about his size, because it’s never been an issue. He just plays ball. He’s elite in that way.

I love Evan. I’ve been trying to get that guy for years. I remember following him [on social media] when I first got to Oklahoma and he didn’t follow me back, because I thought he was going to leave [Texas A&M]. And then when he entered the portal and we had the chance to get him and he got on the visit, I was like, ‘Bro, I gotta play with you. This s— has been destined to happen, you know?’ He’s a great kid, top-notch.

We call Trae the wild child. But the reasons he has challenges are the same reasons you love him as a player. He ain’t scared to get dirty or get hit as a receiver.

Johnson: The receivers love him. It’s the chemistry that you have with him when you go out there. Before a play, he gives you that look like, ‘Hey, this ball is coming.’ Even if you drop a pass, he’s coming right back to you next play to get your confidence back up. It’s stuff like that you don’t take for granted that, as a quarterback, you need.

Gabriel has thrown touchdown passes to nine different Ducks this season. On Nov. 9, he broke Keenum’s NCAA record for total touchdowns (178) with a 3-yard touchdown pass against Maryland.

The receiver for that historic moment? Gernorris Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound backup offensive tackle.

Just like we all predicted…@_dillongabriel_‘s historic touchdown goes to none other than @WilsonGernorris 🔥#GoDucks x @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/F9uOcznydV

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 10, 2024

Wilson: Man, I ain’t think I was going to catch that right there. I thought that was over my head. But you got to call God. I called Him and He answered the prayers, so I got that job done.

Gabriel: That was hilarious. I’m just happy for him, because G-Baby is G-Baby, you know? We practiced it and we were like 50-50 probably between catches and drops. But there was never a doubt that G-Baby is going to be good on game day.

Wilson: It wasn’t just a moment for me. That was for the whole O-line, honestly. That was for every big man out there.

Gabriel has led Oregon on a 13-0 run and its first College Football Playoff appearance in a decade. In the biggest challenges of their season — against No. 2 Ohio State, in a road comeback at Wisconsin and in the Big Ten title game against No. 3 Penn State — he has delivered his best performances.

Lanning: This team believes in him. They’re grateful every day that they get to step on the field with him. He’s about connection and people first. But the poise that he shows in big games is unmeasured. I haven’t been around players like Dillon. I’m really grateful I get to share the field with him.

Johnson: Those big games, we still don’t know how in those big games he finds a way to separate himself. It’s something he got in his veins that we cannot pinpoint. No lights get too big for him.

Ferguson: I’ve watched his tape before at Oklahoma and UCF. He always shows up in big games. Just knowing him in the offseason and how much work he puts in, I already knew that’s what he was going to do. He rises to the competition. He’s going to play his best ball against the best teams.

Lanning: When the moment’s the biggest, that’s when Dillon is the most stoic and level-set for those moments. I think that’s when he’s calmest.

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The teammates who know him best feel invested in the Ducks’ College Football Playoff run. They want to see Gabriel close out his six-year journey on top.

Williams: When he was a freshman and a sophomore, he would make certain mistakes and sometimes it would cost us. He was a young guy, he played really well, but we lost some close games because he wasn’t experienced. Seeing him play against Ohio State, it was like night and day. Nothing rattled him. He’d go in there and throw a touchdown and come right back to the sideline. It was like nothing bothers him now. I think he’s super locked in, and that’s really cool to see.

Stoops: I always make sure to watch Dillon when I can. I couldn’t be happier for him. Shoot, I hope they win the national championship. I’m going to be rooting for them and rooting for him especially.

Nixon: It just goes to show if you have faith and a work ethic and you have contagious energy like he does, man, you’ll be successful wherever you go. That’s a credit to the person he is, without a doubt.

Anderson: If there’s anybody that deserves a national championship, it’s definitely him. Because of all the work I’ve seen him put in and all the trials and tribulations that he’s gone through. I feel like they’re going to go all the way.

Gabriel was asked one final question at the end of an hourlong dive into his memory bank. He has thrown 153 touchdown passes in college. Which one is his favorite? Gabriel paused and pondered before grinning.

Gabriel: The next one.

IN THE SECOND month of his second NHL season, Connor Bedard’s sophomore slump hit hard. After matching his massive pre-draft hype by winning the Calder Trophy last spring as the NHL’s top rookie with 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, Bedard’s production flatlined in November.

“I could name 100 things [I could do better],” Bedard said as he endured a 12-game goalless drought. “I don’t know, man. It has been frustrating, for sure.”

The teenager’s expected goals percentage was up from a season prior. His opponents were limited to fewer shot attempts when he was on the ice. But the results didn’t follow, especially in the faceoff circle, where Bedard was routinely getting defeated. The coaches even temporarily moved Bedard to the wing, hoping that could be a jump start.

TV cameras relentlessly followed Bedard during every shift, then captured every bench door he slammed and every anguished expression that followed — often in dramatic slow motion.

“It was probably the first time he’s ever had anything negative written about him,” Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said. “It was always, ‘How good is this kid?’ Now things weren’t coming as easy. There’s a lot of internal pressure on himself, too. He really wants to be the greatest. And when he’s not impacting the game, he’s like, ‘What the hell?’ Even though it might not be him, it’s the game or the circumstance. That burden can be heavy.”

The drought fell over the Blackhawks’ trip to Vancouver, the first time Bedard could play an NHL game in his hometown. Because there was an NHLPA-mandated off day before the game against the Canucks, Bedard took an Uber to his parents’ house as soon as the team landed. He slept in his childhood bed, then spent the day with close friends and family. Staying on brand, he even whipped a few pucks in their backyard shooting range.

Many around Bedard hoped it would be the reset he needed. Not quite. Bedard was held off the scoresheet as the Canucks beat the Blackhawks 4-1 — Chicago’s 11th loss in 18 games. The cast of players auditioning as Bedard’s linemates appeared to be a never-ending carousel. Chicago kept letting games slip away late. The results cost coach Luke Richardson his job earlier this month.

From the outside, it was a nightmare situation for Bedard — who was anointed as a franchise savior well before he hit NHL ice. People wanted to compare Bedard to other top draft picks — such as this past year’s No. 1, Macklin Celebrini, or the other Connor, McDavid — then wondered if he wasn’t hitting his marks.

“I told him, ‘As much as everyone wants to build you up, there are many people who want to see you fail,'” Foligno said. “It’s sad, but that’s the world we live in. What matters is that everyone in this room wants you to do well.”

Those closest to Bedard insist they have never heard him complain about linemates or coaches — not before he got to the NHL, and certainly not now. Instead, during difficult times such as this fall, Bedard looks at himself in the mirror and thinks he might be letting everyone around him down. He is fueled by a deep desire to win, and believes if he stays disciplined to his routine, things will start to break his way.

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OVER THE PAST month, Bedard seems to have rediscovered some swagger. Since breaking his drought, he has seven goals and 17 points in his last 16 games. The new interim coach, Anders Sorensen, is committed to finding solutions to help Bedard, including landing on somewhat consistent linemates in Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi.

“Honestly right now, I feel not bad,” Bedard said Sunday. “I’m playing decently. I’m always trying to get better but my game’s getting to a good spot and so is the team. We’ve been playing more aggressively, that’s probably the biggest thing. … And it’s been good working with Anders. He is to the point. He tells us what he wants and he’s passionate. He loves to win, and obviously so do I.”

The Blackhawks are in a rebuild, but they’ve lost a lot in the last two seasons. They ride a four-game losing streak into the Winter Classic, and the Blackhawks are dead last in the NHL standings. That opens them up to critique. But one thing the organization feels adamant about: the noise around Bedard’s sophomore season has been too loud and too skewed.

“It’s the funniest narrative ever, like there’s something wrong with this kid,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said. “He’s 19 years old, he’s just under a point-per-game player, and somehow he’s broken? Inevitably, we want to draw every conclusion possible then we want to put it into context historically. Then there’s the answer, right? Nobody wants to wait to see how things play out.”

Davidson knows it’s hard to preach patience. It’s easy to ask if the Blackhawks are doing a disservice to a generational talent such as Bedard by not expediting their rebuild. It’s the existential question: Could placing a highly driven superstar in a losing culture for too long do too much damage?

Then there’s the issue of visibility, as the Blackhawks’ new RSN partner, Chicago Sports Network, has yet to work out a deal with Chicago’s biggest cable provider, Comcast. The Blackhawks believe Bedard will excite a new generation of Chicago fans, who were spoiled by three Stanley Cups from 2010 to 2015. Now, many haven’t been able to watch Bedard consistently, as negotiations with CHSN drag on.

But as Davidson sees it, patience is the only path forward. Ownership granted his front office the luxury of conducting a rebuild “the right way” — a years-long process, spanning several drafts — to create a sustainable contender. After finishing last season with the NHL’s second-worst record, the Blackhawks signed several veterans to patch this season’s roster as the club waits for its top prospects to develop.

“The timeline’s going to be what the players dictate and you have to be patient,” Davidson said. “You always want the immediate payoff and I understand that, but we also have to be realistic and not put players in situations that they’re not ready for. This is the first wave. But my goodness, we’re pretty excited about some of the guys that are in amateur hockey and in college and junior and in Europe.”

Recent first-rounders Frank Nazar and Kevin Korchinski earned December call-ups after tearing up minor hockey. The initial plan was for Nazar to stay in the AHL until the spring, but he forced a promotion with 11 goals and 24 points in his first 21 games in Rockford.

Over the next year, any combination of Artyom Levshunov (No. 2 pick in 2024), Oliver Moore (No. 19 in 2023), Nick Lardis (third round, 2023), Sam Rinzel (No. 25 in 2022) and Ryan Greene (second round, 2022) should follow. Ethan Del Mastro (fourth round, 2021) and Landon Slaggert (third round, 2020) are projected to make the NHL roster as role players. Perhaps most intriguing is 20-year-old Roman Kantserov (second round, 2023), who is thriving in Russia’s KHL.

Further down the pipeline, the Blackhawks are excited about their other 2024 first-rounder, 18-year-old Sacha Boisvert. They also have two elite goalie prospects in 20-year-old Adam Gajan and 22-year-old Drew Commesso.

If all goes according to plan, this group will be surrounding Bedard when the Blackhawks are ready to win again. They just have to get through the uncomfortable stage first.

“You guys came to the rink for 20 years, won Stanley Cups and beat the hell out of everybody, and you just assume that’s the way it should go every year,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said in November regarding the Blackhawks’ run of success in the 2010s. “But you’ve got good young players. Got a superstar. It’s just a matter of time.”

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THE CHALLENGE FOR Bedard and the Blackhawks this season is not to not let things spiral. Nazar, who is just 20, explains it as such: not letting their record dictate the way they play, and showing up consistently every night. For a young player such as Nazar, it’s important to establish that culture. It’s easier said than done.

Foligno, who is playing in his 18th NHL season, put it bluntly: “What this season’s taught me is how hard it is to break from losing habits.”

“When you lose, things creep into your game and into your organization that you don’t want to have,” Foligno said. “And it’s hard to break out, even when you bring in different personnel, it’s still a little lingering effect that you have to work through. This year, we’ve all expected to take a bigger step than we probably have, but I don’t want to call it disappointment. There’s still 50 games left, but we’re not where we want to be right now. And I think that’s the encouraging part too, that we can get there.”

Sorensen had the unenviable task of coming in mid-season, in a league that has so little practice time. But players have noted his intentionality in how he runs drills, communicates, and shows video clips. Sorensen, who coached both in his native Sweden and for the Chicago Mission AAA before joining the Blackhawks organization, also has experience with highly skilled players; he has coached Maple Leafs star William Nylander on and off since he was 5-years-old, and considers Nylander’s father, Michael, one of his closest friends. Sorensen also coached Boston star David Pastrnak in Sweden. When Sorensen got the Blackhawks job, Pastrnak texted his former teammates Hall and Foligno that their new coach was the real deal. That helped establish credibility.

“What I’ve learned is that there is a team structure, certain things that are non-negotiable,” Sorensen said. “But with a guy like Connor, sometimes he knows more than you do as coaches. So let’s not try to cramp him. There’s so many attributes he has as a special player, so we ask him to trust his instincts, especially offensively.”

Sorensen’s initial focus was helping Bedard’s teammates help him, and that’s by getting Bedard the puck while he’s in motion. Sorensen doesn’t believe it’s ideal for Bedard to cycle through so many linemates. At the same time, the new coach is finding ways to give Bedard even more looks — putting him on different lines within games, especially in the offensive zone.

“For me, it’s simple. He’s our best player, we want him on the ice, right?” Sorensen said. “So let’s try to get him in different situations, get him away from matchups and whatnot. And he’s responded really well to that.”

In the meantime, they’ve sometimes kept Bedard away from the faceoff circle (having wings take that duty). About once a week, Yanic Perreault — one of the NHL’s greatest faceoff takers during his 859-game career, who now works with the Blackhawks as a development coach — comes to practice. Perrault, who has a similar stature to Bedard, is teaching the young center how to leverage his body, as well as a few stick tricks that can help him win against bigger centers.

Bedard is a notorious rink rat. Last season, Blackhawks coaches sometimes hid Bedard’s sticks or took the steel out of his blades to keep him from staying at the rink too long.

“Now that he’s been through the NHL grind, he has learned there’s only so much energy and you don’t want to tap into that reservoir too heavily,” Davidson said. “So I think there’s a little bit of an understanding. Having said that, he still loves it, still loves putting in the work. So he’s still around a lot.”

Bedard remains polite and accessible. He doesn’t enjoy media obligations — he’d rather be working on his game — but understands their function, and dutifully says yes to most of the requests the Blackhawks receive. Over the summer, he wasn’t initially thrilled about the pitch from Chicago Magazine to do a photo shoot at the Chicago Art Institute, recreating the iconic scene from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” After all, the movie came out 19 years before Bedard was born. But then it was explained why it was a big deal. And another selling point: The museum was offering to close off a wing, which they never do — only for the Obamas.

“People tend to forget he’s one of the youngest players in the league, and what he’s doing still at his age is impressive,” Foligno said. “People are going to compare him to all the greats and maybe that’s fair or unfair, but he’s going to be his own player. He’s already said that he’s not trying to be the next Sidney Crosby, the next Connor McDavid. He’s going to be Connor Bedard. And whether that takes him next year to really hit his stride or five years, it’s going to be fun to watch what he can become.”

Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday afternoon at the age of 100.

The Carter Center confirmed that Carter died peacefully and surrounded by his family at his home in Plains, Georgia. At 100, Carter was the longest-living president in U.S. history.

A lifelong Atlanta Braves fan, he was the first president to welcome a Super Bowl champion to the White House (the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980, who visited alongside the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates).

Carter also was president in 1980 when he announced that the United States would boycott the Olympic Summer Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. More than 60 nations ultimately boycotted the Games, including West Germany, Japan and China. Writing in his 2010 book, “White House Diary,” Carter observed that in hindsight, with respect to the U.S. team, “one of my most difficult decisions was supporting the boycott of the Summer Olympics.”

In his presidential memoir, “Keeping Faith,” Carter also discussed the choice not to send a U.S. team to Moscow. The boycott of the Moscow Olympics led to a retaliatory Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that included more than a dozen countries.

“For the Soviet Union, the Moscow Olympics was much more than a sporting event,” Carter wrote. “They saw it as a triumph for communism and a vivid demonstration to other nations of the world that the Soviets represented the true spirit of the ancient Olympics.”

After the boycott was formalized with a vote by the U.S. Olympic Committee, Carter invited the entire American team to the White House, where each athlete got a brief handshake, posed for a picture with the president, and received the Congressional Gold Medal.

A moment of silence was held Sunday night before the Atlanta Falcons’ game at the Washington Commanders in honor of Carter.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of [his] dear friend and role model, President Jimmy Carter” in a statement earlier Sunday.

“He was a great American, a proud Georgian and an inspirational global humanitarian,” Blank said.

A statement on the passing of President Jimmy Carter from Arthur M. Blank pic.twitter.com/7EYDeN15NS

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 29, 2024

Carter (born James Earl Carter Jr.) served one term as U.S. president, from 1977 to 1981. He lived longer after leaving office than any other previous U.S. president, and his legacy is noted by his post-presidency work.

He founded The Carter Center in 1982, a nonprofit, nonpartisan center focused on issues of public policy. Through the center, he worked as an advocate for democracy, human rights, disease prevention and conflict resolution and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter also partnered with Habitat for Humanity for more than 30 years.

Carter, who returned to his home state of Georgia after leaving the presidency, attended numerous Braves games, including the final game at Turner Field in October 2016, and was caught on the kiss cam with his longtime wife, Rosalynn, on more than one occasion.

“President Carter was a testament to the best America, and Georgia, can produce,” the Braves said in a statement. “He served both his country and home state with honor his entire life. While the world knew him as a remarkable humanitarian and peacemaker, we knew him as a dedicated Braves fan and we will miss having him in the stands cheering on his Braves.”

Among his other sports-related activities, Carter was a member of the cross country team during his time at the Naval Academy and was also a tennis, track and basketball player in high school. He was also an avid softball player.

Carter grew up in Plains, Georgia, and served in the Navy for seven years before returning to his home state to take over his family’s peanut farm. Carter was a Georgia senator and governor in the 1960s and ’70s before being elected president. He was diagnosed with cancer in August 2015 but announced in early 2016 that he no longer needed treatment.

Carter entered hospice care in February 2023; the Carter Center said that in the wake of a series of short hospital stays he “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.”

Carter married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946. She died on Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 96. They are survived by their three sons and a daughter, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.