Oregon Football: The X-Factor Vs. Washington

Let’s get one thing out of the way real quick.

This past weekend, the Oregon football program had some of the WORST circumstances to execute a major win against the high-flying Trojans. Oregon’s pass rush had failed one of the country’s best run defenses, the defense looked suspect against premier wide receivers when playing Indiana, and tons of injuries on the offensive line and out wide made this game a LOT closer than it needed to be.

Now, as a fan, I’m ultra excited for the Ducks, as they found a way to STILL dominate while missing some of their best players. Unfortunately, there’s just no excuse for injuries when it comes to putting teams in the College Football Playoff (especially if you lose your quarterback and your name is Florida State).

Without some of Oregon’s premier talent, the Ducks made a habit of allowing USC to hang around, especially on third down. They didn’t get off the field when they needed to sometimes, but made up for that with MASSIVE interceptions against one of the best quarterbacks in football. I see this week as being a course correction prior to the College Football Playoff. This team NEEDS to dominate to get their 11th win of the season, especially up in Seattle. To me, there’s one primary key to that.

Uiagalelei has been under-recognized throughout this season. Let’s see that change in the last regular season game of the year – via Isaac Wasserman

Hate Week’s Premier Player for Oregon: Matayo Uiagalelei

Make no mistake about it: Uiagalelei has had a lackluster season by the Oregon standard in 2025. That doesn’t mean I don’t fully believe he’ll be a star at the next level; I just don’t think he’s there yet. There hasn’t been much seen on the field to defend Uiagalelei at the current moment.

As he potentially elevates his NFL Draft stock and absolutely NEEDS a game to put his stamp on, this is his Super Bowl. Until another game presents itself in the College Football Playoff, Oregon’s best play has to be the defensive front. The Ducks’ secondary might just be too young to hang with top-tier talent all game, and that’s completely okay, considering their age. As a fan, I expect them to find a way to resource the pass rush with a massive effort from their rotation of edge rushers, featuring Uiagalelei as a frontrunner of that group.

Overall, I see Oregon winning decisively. I think a handful of positions in skill group areas have to play their best ball to beat Oregon, and that’s simply not going to happen against this Duck roster. In this circumstance, we’re expecting a team to come to Autzen in the weeks ahead for a home playoff game, and I don’t necessarily see that as a foregone conclusion. Let’s pen that in for Saturday and watch Oregon absolutely DOMINATE both lines of scrimmage while standing over an easy victory over one of the better west coast programs to join the B1G; it just happens to be Oregon’s absolute biggest rival.

Anyway, enough from me, Oregon fans. Who’s the X-Factor of Oregon’s team this week? Who owns the line of scrimmage? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.

GO DUCKS!

Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo by: Craig Strobeck

Alex Heining

Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.