It’s official: Oregon is the new king of the Big Ten, taking down Penn State 45-37 in a historic conference championship for the Ducks! Oregon has its first conference championship since 2020 (Pac-12), and how the Ducks took the league by storm is noteworthy.

At Big Ten Media Days, Oregon floated a massive duck on the river outside of the event in Indianapolis. Dan Lanning commented at the podium that he wanted to take that Duck to every road game, but it was that kind of “it’s about us” mentality that drove Oregon the entire way.

On Saturday night, it would not be easy. Penn State battled back from a 28-10 hole to keep things within one score at halftime and answered every time it looked like the Ducks might pull away.

Now, the Ducks can celebrate their championship and a Playoff bid to come. And while Penn State will be forced to dwell on some missed opportunities, James Franklin’s team will also be safely in the final field on Selection Sunday.

Here are the key takeaways from the 2024 B1G Championship Game:

Tez Johnson looms as major X factor

Watching Oregon throughout the season, it was clear Tez Johnson took the passing attack of the Ducks to another level. His midseason absence due to an injury was noteworthy, but there should be no lingering concerns as we hit the Playoff.

Facing Penn State, Johnson was off to the races early and often. He delivered a big 48-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter to give Oregon a 2-score cushion, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Anytime Dillon Gabriel needed a big gain, Johnson was there. The veteran receiver led the Ducks in every major receiving category, including yards per catch (16.5) even while racking up 11 catches.

Johnson’s 181 receiving yards go down as a new career-high, besting his 180 receiving yards from a 2023 matchup against Cal. His 11 catches are also tied for the 2nd-most in his career, something he has achieved 3 other times with the Ducks.

Oregon’s ground game sets the tone

Coming into the game, it was pretty clear Penn State’s path to a victory involved slowing things down and relying on its defense to get stops. Playing a track meet against the Ducks and their offense was not a great recipe for success, even as the Nittany Lions came up with some big plays in the 2nd half.

The key to Penn State slowing things down should have been in its rushing defense. The Nittany Lions entered tied 7th nationally (and 5th in the B1G) at giving up just 97 rushing yards per game.

However, Oregon ran past that number — and then some.

The Ducks matched Penn State’s season average with 97 rushing yards in the first half alone. The 2-headed attack of Jordan James and Noah Whittington kept things rolling in the second half as the Ducks racked up 183 rushing yards.

James led the way with 87 yards and had 2 rushing touchdowns while Whittington had 82 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. As a result of the efficient ground game, Oregon was able to keep its average distance on 3rd downs to 5.5 yards to go (Penn State averaged 8.3).

While Gabriel and Johnson delivered in big moments, the ground game kept the offense on schedule all game long.

The Playoff factor

Coming into Saturday, it was clear what both teams were playing for. As top-5 teams, the winner was guaranteed a first-round bye in the Playoff, and the Ducks were playing for the No. 1 overall seed.

Now, Dan Lanning’s group can rest easy at 13-0 overall. After holding the No. 1 spot in the rankings for much of the season, there is no way the Ducks will slide after a historic Big Ten title for the program.

Meanwhile, Penn State can head into Selection Sunday disappointed with the result but confident in its status. By all measures, the Nittany Lions appear destined to be seeded somewhere between the 5 and 8 slots, meaning Happy Valley should be getting a home Playoff game later this month.