Autzen is empty, I’m sweaty, covered in beer — someone in the stands has a good arm — and couldn’t be more thrilled to be writing you all this story. Thank you all for being I-5 Corridor subscribers. I hope you enjoyed that one.

EUGENE — Dan Lanning had switched back to coach mode. 

The chain he was wearing moments earlier was gone. The sweat that had drenched his brow had been wiped off and a semblance of a voice was beginning to return. 

His No. 3 Oregon Ducks had just beat No. 2 Ohio State in the biggest game in Oregon regular season history, and Lanning was back talking about recruiting and improving and taking every day as it comes. But for a moment, the always forward-looking coach reflected on what just happened. 

“How awesome is Oregon? How awesome is getting to coach at this place?” Lanning said. “Our fans, our players — those guys work so dang hard to get moments like this.” 

What moments? Where to begin?  

The Ducks didn’t just beat Ohio State, they were better than Ohio State. Oregon outgained the Buckeyes 496 to 467. Lanning’s Ducks played better defense than the No. 1 defensive unit in the country. He had the better quarterback in Dillon Gabriel. That offseason spent bringing in hordes of talented receivers played better than Ohio State’s NFL prospects. The 60,129 in attendance — the largest crowd in Autzen Stadium history — were just as damn loud as anything rooted in Blue-Blood Columbus. And that noise only intensified as Lanning tossed his headset into the air as time expired on Oregon’s 32-31 win.

The third-year coach stormed the field just as everyone else. Someone put a chain around him. He was hugged, high-fived, back-slapped and surrounded by an Oregon crowd that had morphed into some sort of liquid. The thousands packing the field moved side to side as one. The cheerleaders lifted the Duck onto their shoulders. Then up went Batman for a crowd surf session. As Lanning attempted to navigate his way to his interview with NBC, the crowd began trickling toward the West end zone as chants that began as “Fuck Ohio!” segued into something more destructive.

“Goalposts! Goalposts! Goalposts!”

Just earlier on the other end of the field, Atticus Sappington had drilled a 19-yard field goal to give Oregon the one-point lead. Needing just a kick for the win, Ohio State got the ball back with 1:47 to play and moved it past midfield before stalling. Facing a third-and-20 with seconds left, Will Howard took the snap, saw nobody open, took off, ran for 12 yards and slid with no time remaining.

There would be no field goal for the Buckeyes — and no goalposts for the Oregon fans who were sent flowing in the opposite direction when Oregon’s security team surrounded the West end zone. The momentary disappointment was quickly subdued by the gravity of the situation.

Three years after beating Ohio State in Columbus with a different coach, with a different quarterback and with a different mentality, the Ducks didn’t just win the rematch — they sent a message to the entire Big Ten.