Penn State football is about to play one of its biggest games in recent history.

The Nittany Lions face No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It’s Penn State’s first appearance in the game since 2016.

Penn State is on a four-game win streak and concluded its regular season with a 44-7 win against Maryland at Beaver Stadium. Meanwhile, the Ducks handled Washington 49-21 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Let’s preview Oregon ahead of the conference championship game.

The Team

Despite 2024 being its first season in the Big Ten, Oregon was the only team in America to go 12-0. The Ducks had a few close calls, though, as they beat Boise State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin by no more than three points each.

Dan Lanning is Oregon’s head coach. He’s been on the job in Eugene since 2022, where he’s gone 34-5 with Holiday and Fiesta Bowl victories. His 87.2% win rate is the highest in program history. Lanning was previously Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021, a run that included the Bulldogs’ first national championship since 1980. The 38-year-old is the seventh-youngest head coach in college football.

Tosh Lupoi has been Oregon’s defensive coordinator since 2022 after serving as the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line coach. Lupoi joined Penn State’s Tom Allen as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award. Chris Hampton, who came from Tulane in 2023, is his co-defensive coordinator.

Will Stein is in his second season as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator. He came from UTSA, where he had been since 2020. Stein’s co-offensive coordinator is Junior Adams, who has been in Eugene since 2022 after departing Washington.

Joe Lorig is Oregon’s special teams coordinator. Like Stein and Lupoi, Lorig joined the program in 2022.

Penn State owns a 3-1 overall series record against Oregon. The Nittany Lions won 38-20 in the 1995 Rose Bowl, the most recent matchup.

Offense

Oregon’s offense is scoring 35.17 points per game and averaging 448.5 total yards per game, including 277.58 passing yards and 170.9 rushing yards.

Starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel has 3,275 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 73.53% completion rate. He has the 10th-most passing yards and second-highest completion percentage in the country. The 6’0″, 200-pound Gabriel runs occasionally, with 175 yards and seven touchdowns. The Mililani, Hawaii, native came to Eugene after two seasons at Oklahoma and three at UCF. Gabriel’s 18,140 career passing yards are the second-most in college football history behind Case Keenum.

Jordan James leads Oregon’s backfield with 1,166 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s also involved in the receiving game, with 21 catches for 182 yards. Noah Whittington, the second-string, has 455 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He also has 17 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon has three wide receivers who are almost equally involved, and they make up arguably the best-receiving unit in the nation. Tez Johnson leads the Ducks with 685 yards and nine touchdowns, Evan Stewart trails slightly with 613 yards and five touchdowns, and Traeshon Holden is third with 581 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, tight end Terrance Ferguson has 490 yards and two touchdowns.

Josh Conerly Jr. is at left tackle, Nishad Strother is at left guard, and Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu plays center. Laloulu, a sophomore, was the highest-graded center in the nation after a 34-13 September win over UCLA. On the right side, Ajani Cornelius plays tackle while Dave Iuli is the guard. Oregon’s offensive line was named a Joe Moore Award semifinalist. Conerly and Cornelius are potentially intriguing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Defense

Oregon is holding opponents to 16.17 points per game and allowing 283.9 yards, including 112.4 rushing and 171.50 passing yards per game. The Ducks have the No. 7 total defense, the No. 8 passing defense, and the No. 22 run defense. Their total defense and run defense are both one spot ahead of Minnesota, which Penn State defeated before Thanksgiving.

Like Penn State, Oregon has a dangerous pair of edge rushers. Matayo Uiagalelei leads the Ducks with 10.5 sacks and has 37 total tackles and six quarterback hurries. Opposite Uiagalelei is Jordan Burch, who is second with 8.5 sacks along with 28 tackles and five pass breakups.

In between the defensive ends are Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell. Harmon has 39 tackles, nine hurries, four sacks, three pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries. Caldwell has 27 tackles along with three pass breakups.

At linebacker, Bryce Boettcher leads Oregon with 80 tackles and has two sacks and an interception. Alongside him is Devon Jackson, who has 37 tackles, two pass breakups, and 1.5 sacks. Oregon’s “JACK,” or outside linebacker, is Teitum Tuioti with 49 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and three quarterback hurries.

Oregon has a heavy emphasis on its defensive backs. This starts with strong safety Tysheem Johnson, who leads the team with three interceptions and has 55 tackles. Alongside him at full safety is Kobe Savage with 54 tackles and a pass breakup. Jeffrey Bassa also sees significant time and has 46 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Nikko Reed and Jabbar Muhammad are Oregon’s starting cornerbacks. Muhammad has 33 tackles and nine pass breakups, while Reed has 31 tackles, four pass breakups, and a pick. Nickelback Brandon Johnson, meanwhile, has 40 tackles, five pass breakups, and one interception.

Special Teams

Atticus Sappington is 13-of-15 on field goal attempts, with his longest successful attempt coming 42 yards out. The Portland, Oregon, native also handles kickoffs, averaging 63.9 yards over 67 kicks. Ross James handles punts, averaging 46.77 yards over 30 attempts. His longest is 69 yards.

Johnson is Oregon’s primary punt returner, with 11.92 yards over 13 returns with a touchdown to boot. Whittington handles kickoff returns, averaging 31 yards over seven returns.