When Oregon needed a jolt, Dan Lanning reached into the deepest part of the playbook and found one of the strangest, biggest swings of the season.
Trailing 14-3 and stuck in neutral, the Ducks dialed up a fake punt that turned the whole afternoon. Outside linebackers Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei made it work to perfection, with Tuioti throwing the pass and Uiagalelei hauling it in, hurdling forward for a first down. That one snap set up Dierre Hill Jr.’s nine-yard touchdown and kicked off a run of 38 unanswered points in Oregon’s 41-28 win over Ohio State.
The victory came in a matchup between the AP poll’s top two preseason teams, and it leaves Oregon at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. Ohio State drops to the same record, but the loss hits much harder on the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff hopes. For Oregon, it gives the season new life.
The fake punt wasn’t just a trick play. It was the moment the Ducks grabbed the game by the throat.
Once the momentum flipped, Oregon kept piling it on. The Ducks outgained Ohio State 288 yards to 236 after the fake punt, and the offense never really let the Buckeyes breathe again.
Tuioti, back on the edge after his surprise cameo as a passer, finished with two solo tackles and his ninth tackle for loss of the season, which leads the team. He also helped make life miserable in coverage for Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey, who looked every bit like a freshman making just his second career start.
Uiagalelei did damage in more than one way, too. Along with the catch on the fake punt, he added his team-leading seventh sack and finished with 30 yards.
From there, Oregon’s playmakers took over. Hill Jr. carried 13 times for a game-high 75 rushing yards and also caught four passes for 31 yards, giving him 106 total yards from scrimmage. He struck again early in the second half, when Oregon opened the third quarter with the ball and Hill Jr. broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career, five plays into the half.
Dakorien Moore kept the pressure on Ohio State’s secondary. The sophomore finished with seven catches for 56 yards, and his one-handed 11-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone came right after Hill Jr.’s score, pushing the Ducks even further out in front.
Oregon’s oddball afternoon also included a scoring play from Jamari Johnson. The tight end had three receptions for 42 yards, but his two-yard rushing touchdown was the one that put the Ducks ahead 17-14, a lead they never gave back.
At quarterback, Dylan Raiola looked settled in his second week working with Oregon assistant quarterbacks coach and new Duck play-caller Jay Johnson. He went 25 of 40 for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
Now Oregon turns to Michigan, with the Wolverines set to visit Autzen Stadium on Nov. 14. The Ducks head into that one with momentum firmly on their side, and after what Tuioti and Uiagalelei pulled off in Columbus, Michigan has to wonder what else Oregon has tucked away.
In Other News...
Ohio State Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Legend Bey
Legend Bey arrived at Ohio State with some buzz, but his first season has not gone the way many Buckeyes fans hoped. The freshman running back has seen limited playing time, and his path has already been complicated by a suspension early in fall camp. Even with the season moving along, Bey has not been able to carve out much of a role in a backfield that has been difficult to crack.
Bey added another layer of uncertainty this week by posting a cryptic message on social media, which naturally sparked concern about where things stand. Nothing official has been announced, and there is no confirmation that he is entering the transfer portal, but the timing of the post is enough to make people around the program pay attention. For a player still trying to find his footing, and for a fan base watching the running back room closely, it is the kind of development that raises more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Makes Another Special Teams Change After Costly Problems Persist
Ohio State has moved on from special teams coordinator Robby Discher after the 2026 season, another sign that the Buckeyes are still searching for answers in a phase of the game that never quite stabilized. Discher was hired in January with the expectation that he would help clean up a unit that had become a recurring concern, but the same issues kept surfacing, from kickoff and punt return troubles to penalties and miscues in important moments.
Head coach Ryan Day has already acknowledged the problems and made clear the responsibility does not rest with Discher alone, which suggests this is as much about broader accountability as it is about one staffing change. For a program with Ohio States standards, special teams has become too familiar a source of frustration, and the latest move only adds to the sense that more adjustments could still be coming. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Owns Ohio State Collapse As Pressure Builds Fast
Ohio States latest setback was the kind that lingers, because it began with control and ended with a collapse. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead against Oregon, then watched the Ducks reel off 38 unanswered points as the offense stalled and the game slipped away, leaving Ohio State at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play.
Ryan Day did not try to soften the aftermath. He acknowledged the teams problems on offense, where the Buckeyes have struggled to find consistent production on the ground and through the air, and said coaching changes, play calling and personnel adjustments are all under consideration. With the season moving deeper into November, the pressure around the program is only getting louder, and the next steps now matter as much as the loss itself. [Read more 🡒]