That No. 1 ranking looked good on Oregon Saturday afternoon.

The Ducks, who moved to the top of the national polls this past week, proved not only are they worthy of the spotlight, but they might actually thrive in it.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the offense through an efficient and prolific first half, and the defense had three sacks, two takeaways and allowed just 293 total yards in a 38-9 rout of No. 21 Illinois inside a sold-out (59,830) Autzen Stadium.

Oregon got out to a 35-3 lead by halftime and had no problems holding on to its insurmountable advantage despite a lackluster second half.

"We talked about starting fast and I just had a feeling, just when we woke up, just the vibe of everyone," said Gabriel, who threw for 291 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. "You go into the elevator, or you get on the bus, you just see it in people's eyes, but also when you get there to warm up. Proud of the way the guys started."

With the win, the Ducks improved to 8-0 overall for the first time since 2013, and 5-0 in Big Ten Conference play. It was also their third win this season over a team in the top 25. They also defeated then-No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12 and now-No. 19 Boise State on Sept. 7. It's possible the Illini (6-2, 3-2) drop out of the polls come Sunday morning.

Oregon, which took over the No. 1 spot in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the Associated Press top 25 on Oct. 20, also improved to 7-1 all-time when ranked No. 1.

"When you at the top of the food chain, everyone wants to be at the top of the food chain," wide receiver Tez Johnson said. "Every day we know we've got a target on our back, but we don't really care who's coming after us. We don't care about our No. 1 spot. We just care about going 1-0 at the end of the week. It's good and all, but we don't really care that we're No. 1. We just want to win football games."

Gabriel's first two touchdown passes were of 31 yards to Johnson and 34 yards to wide receiver Justius Lowe – both in the first quarter – and then a 2-yard pass to running back Noah Whittington in the second quarter.

Gabriel also rushed for a 7-yard score and Whittington rushed for an 18-yard TD, which ended with him flattening Illinois safety Miles Scott at the 2-yard line.

"Illinois was really good," Johnson said. "They was physical, they was sound … but going against us today, I don't think they've really seen it. I know in practice they don't really go against fast guys like us. It's different for any defense."

It was a milestone game for Gabriel, a sixth-year senior who is closing in on several all-time collegiate records.

He is now No. 2 in NCAA history in total touchdowns (175), total yards (18,401), passing touchdowns (143) and passing yards (17,236).

Saturday, he passed former Hawaii great Timmy Chang for second in career passing yards and former Boise State star Kellen Moore for second in career passing touchdowns.

And he did it in what was his 57th career start, the most among active FBS quarterbacks and four away from former Duck Bo Nix’s FBS record for starts by a QB (61).

"I'm chasing wins, man," Gabriel said. "That's where I'm at. … That's been the goal of mine for a long time but now more than ever. I think you play a long career like I did, and you realize a lot of things, and I choose winning 100% of the time."

Next up for Oregon is a long road trip across multiple time zones as it plays at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against defending national champion Michigan at Michigan Stadium, college football's largest venue with a capacity of 107,601.

“Once we're able to watch the film, we'll probably assess where we really need to improve," coach Dan Lanning said. "But obviously, you know, Michigan's a good team. They've had a lot of success. Obviously, they have a storied history, it's an exciting game to get to be a part of. That's what you sign up for when you're in the Big Ten. ... To have the ability to handle travel and go play in a tough environment is going to be a fun challenge for our team."

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: 'I'm chasing wins': Dillon Gabriel and Ducks react to win vs. Illinois