On a day against the Ohio State Buckeyes when the Oregon Ducks needed a win to keep all their goals and aspirations in 2026 alive, the bell was answered in all facets of the game.
The offense may have been the headliner, as quarterback Dylan Raiola tossed a pair of touchdowns and running back Dierre Hill Jr. ran in two scores including a long one from 48 yards out. Before garbage time, the Ducks had scored 38 unanswered points with an offense beautifully called by interim play-caller Jay Johnson.
But having 38 unanswered points means that the opposition didn't score either. During that time, the Buckeyes didn't come relatively close to scoring at all, as Oregon stymied their rushing attack after the first quarter and forced backup quarterback
Luke Fahey to put the ball in the air a total of 50 times. They got after the young freshman too, racking up two sacks and nine tackles for loss while true freshman Devin Jackson picked Fahey off near the end of the first half, leading to an Oregon touchdown that pushed them into the lead for good.
While the defense was outstanding, the special teams made the play that changed the game. A fake punt jump pass from edge rusher Teitum Tuioti to fellow edge rusher Matayo Uiagelelei sparked the Oregon sidelined while they were down two scores and powered them to victory.
Let's take a look at where Oregon's defense and special teams rank nationally in various statistical categories after Week 10.
Scoring Defense: No. 49
Points allowed per game: 22.1
Passing Defense: No. 85
Pass yards allowed per game: 224.9
Rushing Defense: No. 40
Rush yards allowed per game: 124.8
Total Defense: No. 58
Total yards allowed per game: 349.7
Third Down Defense: No. 26
Third down conversion percentage: 32.6%
Red Zone Defense: No. 89
Red zone conversion percentage: 86.7%
Sacks: No. 49
Total sacks: 21
Tackles for Loss: No. 86
Total tackles for loss: 45
Turnovers Forced: No. 38
Total turnovers forced: 13
Punt Return Defense: No. 1
Average yards per opposing punt return: -0.6
Kickoff Returns: No. 89
Average kickoff return yards: 19.1
Punt Returns: No. 89
Average punt return yards: 7.8
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Where Oregon's defense, special teams rank after Week 10 win
