Ducks outlast PSU, ‘take over’ as Big Ten champs
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Lanning stood outside Oregon‘s locker room Saturday night, hugging and slapping hands with every player, coach and staff member leaving the confetti-filled field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
When Oregon was preparing for its first season in the Big Ten, Lanning had challenged his team to become the “keystone species,” a new organism that can define its ecosystem. The Ducks were joining a conference that included defending national champion Michigan and historic powers Ohio State and Penn State.
They ended up taking down all three, with Penn State being the final foe to fall Saturday in the Big Ten championship. Led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel and wide receiver Tez Johnson, No. 1 Oregon outlasted No. 3 Penn State 45-37 to secure its first Big Ten title in its first season in the conference.
“It’s just going in a new environment, just kind of messing up that environment, being the alpha in that environment,” tight end Terrance Ferguson said of Lanning’s keystone species theory. “There’s been some alphas in the Big Ten, and we just came in and put our hat on that. All year, that’s been preached to us, and we just put in the work to make it happen.”
The Ducks remained the nation’s only undefeated team at 13-0, tying a single-season team record for victories, and secured a first-round bye in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. They will return to the CFP for the first time since the format launched in 2014, when they lost to Ohio State in the national championship game. Oregon is slotted for the Rose Bowl and will face the winner of the first-round game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.
In late July, Ferguson joined Gabriel, linebacker Jeffrey Bassa and Lanning on the same field at Lucas Oil Stadium for Big Ten media day. The Ducks were one of four West Coast additions to the league, and the one seemingly built to contend right away.
But a new conference brought new obstacles, from travel to opponents to doubts about their legitimacy. Ferguson remembers frequent questions about whether Oregon and other Pac-12 imports could handle the physicality of the Big Ten.
“Everyone sees the West Coast, soft, Pac-12, but I’m glad that we showed everyone that we’re not that,” Ferguson said.
Lanning said, “Motivation is overrated.” But he said he was proud of his team taking the final step in fulfilling the keystone species pledge, which he described as “an opportunity to invade a new environment and somewhere maybe you didn’t belong and … take over that environment.”
Oregon’s Big Ten title win reflected the elements that are most commonly associated with the program, namely speed and explosiveness on offense. Johnson won championship game MVP honors after recording 11 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown, while Gabriel had four touchdown passes and no interceptions in his final performance before Heisman Trophy voting concludes.
Johnson, a senior wideout, was adopted by the family of former Oregon and current Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix but played Saturday before his biological relatives for the first time.
“I told them, ‘This is the first game y’all coming to, I’ll give y’all a show, I promise you that,'” Johnson said. “I don’t know if words can explain it. My mom, just seeing the tears in her eyes, being able to watch me play on a stage like this. My family had never seen it before. … It’s something you dream about.”
A year earlier, Johnson and his teammates watched their archrival Washington celebrate a Pac-12 championship in Las Vegas. It marked the Huskies’ second win over Oregon in 2023 and one that vaulted them into the CFP. Washington, along with USC and UCLA, struggled in their first season in the Big Ten, as none finished the regular season with a winning record.
Oregon charted a different path, overcoming a shaky start against Idaho and Boise State to outlast Ohio State 32-31 on Oct. 12, then record definitive wins against Illinois, Michigan and others.
“We were meant to be here,” Bassa said. “We’re at the top of the conference and we dominated this conference and we took over the conference.”
Penn State outgained Oregon 518-466 in yardage, but the Ducks led throughout and secured the win on Nikko Reed‘s diving interception at the Oregon 16-yard line with 1:54 left. Oregon twice picked off Penn State quarterback Drew Allar and received key contributions from tight ends Ferguson and Kenyon Sadiq, who hurdled Penn State defender Jalen Kimber for the game’s first touchdown.
“Just ready for their moment, each of them,” Gabriel said. “And I’m proud of them. They just maximized the moment.”
After the win, Oregon players posed on the field with newspaper covers that read “From West to Best.” Gabriel briefly emerged from the locker room holding a cigar and politely asked reporters not to photograph him.
But the celebration wasn’t over the top.
“We’re not done yet,” defensive back Dontae Manning said. “We’re not done yet.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson experienced his first crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, the second day that Indianapolis 500 drivers participated in open testing on the 2.5-mile oval.
The 2021 NASCAR champion spun coming out of the first turn, hit the wall and bounced down to the warmup lane before tapping the wall a second time and eventually rolling to a stop.
Larson blamed himself, saying he forgot to hit the weight jacker going into the turn. But he also tried to find some positive from the incident.
“I’m happy to crash my first Indy car and live through it,” Larson said.
IN THE WALL 😬@KyleLarsonRacin makes contact with the wall exiting Turn 1 and in Turn 2.
📺: INDYCAR YouTube pic.twitter.com/5TE5c1BXDs
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 24, 2025
An Arrow McLaren official told The Indianapolis Star that Larson will not take part in the Thursday afternoon practice session due to the crash damage. The team decided not to rush the repairs, which would have left minimal practice time at best, the official said.
Larson is attempting to complete “the double” by racing in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. His first attempt was thwarted by a rain delay in the 2024 Indy 500 that saw him arrive to the NASCAR race just as that race was called off for weather.
He wasn’t the only familiar name to crash Thursday. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato crashed shortly after Larson, losing the back end of his car in the first turn and smacking the wall hard in the short chute before rolling to a stop.
“Lost it,” Sato said. “I simply lost it.”
Both drivers were checked at the infield hospital and released.
Graham Rahal also tapped the wall late in Wednesday’s practice.
Series officials added horsepower to the cars for the Thursday morning session as they test the IndyCar hybrid, which makes its IMS debut next month. An afternoon session without the boost closes out the two-day test.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”
Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.
Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.
“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.
Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.
“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”
The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.
The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.
“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.
Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.
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