Oregon Star Brandon Finney Jr. Pushes Back on Blame for Ducks' Woes

The Oregon Ducks’ shocking performance in a 17-15 loss to the UCLA Bruins raised concerns about the program’s offense following seven turnovers. Defensively, however, the Ducks recovered a fumble and snagged two interceptions.

But sophomore defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. shut down the notion that the offense lost the game. He revealed how the team is restoring confidence in the offense after the deflating loss.

Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney (4) is interviewed by. ESPN’s Katie George following the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Our identity as a defense, who we want to be, we want to be a dominant defense. So, it's just like, even in almost situations like that, how can we win the game? We're not expecting our offense to win the game. We're expecting us to win the game first,” Finney said.

“So, it's just every game is really in our hands, in my opinion. Like we really want to be a dominant defense,” he added. “And then as far as it goes, just instilling confidence in the offense that comes throughout the week, making sure we can give them the best looks. So, for that, when they're in the game, they're prepared.”

Finney addressed how the team as a whole is responding to adversity and blocking the outside noise, as well as the defensive improvements needed ahead of the upcoming game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Autzen Stadium.

Moving to Nickel:

“Yeah, I mean, I mean, playing nickel is something that I've always wanted to do. I mean, I appreciate Coach Hamp for giving me the opportunity to play in the slot, but I really just feel like being able to move in the slot just shows my versatility. Whether it's like being able to be in the box, being physical, or being able to show my slot coverage.”

Response to Adversity:

Oct 10, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning watches the offenses during the second half in a game against the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, one thing I really love is the way the people in the locker room have been responding to that adversity. One thing we talk about is like FEBU, and FEBU is like a true statement that we all follow.”

“Like, we hear a lot of outside noise. What is it for us? Just back to work. We gotta figure out what we did wrong. Go to the doctor and just get back to work.”

If He’s on Social Media:

“Yeah, no, I mean I'm not like actively on social media, but the main thing for me is just like I find it hard to really find what people say online like really truly affect me because it's just like why would I let your opinion inflict me or my thoughts on my performance or my thoughts on our performance.”

“Like because people are going to be there when you're doing good, when you're bad, when you're doing bad, they're going to leave you. That's one thing I learned about social media. So, it's just like social media ain't really a big motivation for me at all.”

Finding Consistent Showings of Dominance:

“Yeah, like you say, consistency. Consistency. I mean, and I'm sure y'all seen in our last couple of games we've had explosives on the first play of the game. That's not ideal at all. And it's just like we're getting stops after those explosives.”

“So, it's just like one thing we have to do. We got to stop those explosives. We got to stop the run. We got to hold down the passing game consistently, like you said, though. So that's going to be the next step for us, and continuing to play physical and relentless.”

Nebraska Quarterback Anthony Colandrea as a Dual Threat:

Oct 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) passes against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, I mean, a really talented quarterback and a very mobile quarterback, one that's going to kind of just move around the pocket and look to run and to pass the ball, so we know he's going to take those shots downfield.”

“But also, when he's running, when he's booting out the pocket, we know he's going to try to run the ball too. So, very able quarterback that we're going to have to look to contain and stop explosives from.”

Struggle Defending the First Play of the Game:

“I mean, just taking most of the responsibility for is just eyes in the secondary. How can we have great eyes discipline in the secondary? So that's a big thing we've been honing on this week is how can we run faster the ball, but how can we have good eye discipline in the secondary?”

What Stands Out About Nebraska:

Sep 12, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts to an interception by the Bowling Green Falcons during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“You know, these guys are a very good offense, as we know. They have a really good receiving core, obviously good quarterback, like we talked about.”

Most Difficult Part Transitioning to Nickel:

“Yeah, I mean, just being in the slot, stuff comes at a different speed. So, I mean, you're closer to the ball, blocks come faster and stuff like that. The coverage is a little different, but it's just little adjustments like that that I feel like I've gotten more comfortable over time.”

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