PASADENA, Calif. — Oregon secured a 34-13 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, but the postgame focus was as much on lessons learned as it was on celebrating the victory. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, wide receiver Tez Johnson, and defensive lineman Jordan Burch were among those who reflected on the game, discussing both the highs and areas for improvement.
Gabriel took accountability for some of the team’s struggles, particularly in the first half. “I just felt like at times I didn’t help us,” Gabriel said. “I feel like our run-game was doing well on the perimeter. When we got the ball into our playmakers' hands, it went well, but of course when we didn’t, it put us in bad situations. Things that we can learn and improve on. It starts with myself for sure.”
Johnson, who had a standout game including a deep touchdown reception, talked about the play. "I just outran them and then I threw my hand up,” Johnson explained, with Gabriel adding, “It’s just something we practiced all week and felt really good about. We hit it in practice once and it was kind of different the second time, which was good."
When asked about what makes Gabriel excel in this offense, Johnson was quick to praise his quarterback. “Same thing [as with Bo Nix],” Johnson said. “I see confidence, poise, and trusting his teammates. When you have a quarterback like that, it’s always comforting as a receiver to go out there and run each play for him. His job is already hard as it is, so we try to make it easy for him. Just get open and he’ll throw it to you. That’s pretty much it.”
Gabriel also spoke about the chemistry with some of his other receivers, particularly Traeshon Holden. “I just think he’s a physical body, a guy who is not afraid of contact,” Gabriel said. “I think that’s different from [Evan Stewart], Tez, [Justius Lowe] and Kyler [Kasper]. I think they all bring their different skillsets. Trae does a good job at what he’s good at. He’s elite. Not a lot of people give him credit for his speed, but at his size, he’s a trustworthy guy to go to.”
The defense played a pivotal role in the win, holding UCLA to just six points for most of the game. Jordan Burch, who had two key plays in the backfield, reflected on his performance and the defensive game plan. “We had a few games called to stop the run,” Burch said. “That was the first one. We had a game set up for the second one too. It just happened to fall into place back there.”
Burch credited the team's preparation and execution, saying, “We really planned well. So at the beginning of the week, we already knew what we’d be able to do when we came out today and everybody was firing on all cylinders. I think we had them dialed. Anything they tried, we were there.”
As for the defensive line’s overall performance, Burch noted that while the unit has been effective, there’s always room for improvement. “I feel like we’re doing pretty good so far,” he said. “I know there’s a lot we can work on going forward, but I think every week we try to get better. I know watching film, we’ll find a lot of mistakes. Just every week we try to fix those mistakes and not do them again.”
Gabriel acknowledged that the defense’s dominance helped put the offense in favorable situations. “The defense put us in a lot of great positions,” he said. “They really only gave up six points. That goes to show how talented they are but also the trust in them.”
When asked about the hit on Terrance Ferguson and the interception involving Bryan Addison, Gabriel was candid. “First one, I think it’s competition,” he said. “Of course, there’s some extra little things there with past history, but [Ferguson] is my brother, the guy I live next to. Naturally, you make that happen and kind words were exchanged throughout that process. The second one, I probably shouldn’t have thrown it. We had a guaranteed three there. Throwing it away would probably be the smarter move. A play like that happens, but we came right back [three drives later] and had a scramble drill. I think that just shows our belief in one another.”
Johnson also commented on the situation with Addison. “I mean I just saw the hit and we all know Dillon is passionate and cares for his teammates,” he said. “I was just telling Dillon to get up out of there because I know he’s got our backs.”
Reflecting on playing at the Rose Bowl, Gabriel said, “It was cool. It was different. I think as you keep playing games in different environments, each has their unique parts of it. But also, playing another game with our guys is something I think I’ll never take for granted as well, and just having a bunch of fun. Winning is fun. Losing isn’t. In the simplest terms, I’m glad we did it with our boys.”
As the Ducks prepare for a short week with a Friday game, the focus turns to recovery and preparation. “Just going to tomorrow and try and catch up on film, fix the mistakes and then get ready for this week ahead,” Burch said. “I know we play on Friday, so just trying to get right fast.”
Johnson agreed. “I would say get back fast.”
Gabriel added humor to the moment. “Can you speed up the jet fuel? We should get that thing rolling right now.”
Oregon’s victory was a key step forward, but as Gabriel put it, the focus remains on learning from their mistakes and continuing to grow: “The trust is there. The belief is there. But most importantly, the guys are elite at what they do. So, we’ll continue to try and do that and be as efficient as possible so we can do it as much as possible.”
