After a disappointing 4-3 start to the year, things are beginning to come together for the Oregon Ducks in 2026. On Saturday, the Ducks went into Columbus and came away with a 41-28 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, giving them their sixth win and keeping their narrow Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Things looked bleak early on for the Ducks, as the Buckeyes raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Neither the Oregon offense or defense looked ready to play. Then, a switch flipped.
Ohio State managed zero points until garbage time, as they scored with three minutes remaining to make the final score appear closer. On fourth down conversions, the Buckeyes went 0-of-4 — a critical stat category that is imperative
for a road team to come out on top in if they're going to win. The Ducks did just that.
Individual efforts were impressive all around the defense. Linebacker Devon Jackson led the way with eight tackles and three tackles for loss, while fellow linebacker Dylan Williams also added eight takedowns himself. Along with providing excellent coverage all game long, cornerback Ify Obidegwu absolutely laid the boom on two consecutive plays in the fourth quarter, laying out two Buckeyes and sending Ohio State running back Bo Jackson to the sideline with an injury.
Though sacks were hard to come by, as Matayo Uiagalelei and Nasir Wyatt each recorded one, multiple plays were shut down due to pass deflections from defensive linemen. North Carolina transfer D'Antre Robinson negated a fourth-down conversion simply by batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage, ending an Ohio State drive.
One of the biggest momentum swings came from true freshman Devin Jackson's acrobatic interception late in the first half, as he managed to get a foot down inbounds after elevating and picking Luke Fahey's pass off. The Ducks went down and scored, taking the lead before halftime that they never relinquished.
Oregon just executed the fake punt to PERFECTION pic.twitter.com/crAREDWd4E
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 7, 2026
While the Teitum Tuioti jump pass to Matayo Uiagalelei on a fake punt wasn't technically on defense, the two edge rushers connecting for what turned out to be the momentum-changing play of the game adds to the impressive nature of the Oregon defenders against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes did manage to score two touchdowns in garbage time, but it didn't take away from how good the Oregon defense was in the crucial parts of the game. While the offense got back on track with 41 points, the defensive effort proved to be the differentiator in the 13-point win, earning our Ducks Wire MVP award.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ducks Wire MVP goes to Oregon defense vs. Ohio State
