Oregon’s 30-Yard Fake Punt Sparks Comeback Against Ohio State
Oregon Ducks outside linebackers Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei spend most Saturdays chasing quarterbacks. In Columbus, they supplied a passing combination of their own at a moment when their offense needed another chance.
With the Ducks trailing 14-3 late in the second quarter, Tuioti found Uiagalelei to extend a possession that ended in Oregon’s first touchdown. The visitors eventually beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 41-28 on Saturday, improving to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten.
The official play-by-play records fourth-and-9 at the Oregon 31. Rather than surrender possession, the punt unit produced a 30-yard completion to the Ohio State 39. Uiagalelei caught the ball at the Oregon 39 before advancing into Buckeyes territory.
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That was a substantial risk with an 11-point deficit and the ball still on Oregon’s side of midfield. A failed attempt would have given Ohio State a short field before halftime. Instead, the Ducks kept the drive alive, and running back Dierre Hill Jr. finished it with a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining.
“If we didn’t fake that punt, if we didn’t go for it on fourth down there, down tight in the red area, I would have been flying back regretting that, knowing that those opportunities were there,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “I just feel like we’ve been a team that’s like, let’s let it rip, see where the chips fall.”
The two players behind the conversion were already established defensive threats. Entering Saturday, Uiagalelei had six sacks, tied for second in the Big Ten, while Tuioti’s 5.5 were tied for fourth. Their special-teams contribution gave the offense a chance to turn a difficult half around.
The Ducks still trailed 14-10 after Hill’s score, but freshman safety Devin Jackson intercepted Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey on the next possession. Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson then scored on a 2-yard run as the half expired, putting the Ducks ahead 17-14.
Hill added a 48-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. In the span from the fake punt through his second score, Oregon had turned an 11-point deficit into a 10-point lead. Tuioti and Uiagalelei kept alive the drive that started that swing
