Five Biggest Winners and Losers Following Oregon's Upset Win Over Ohio State

The No. 23 Oregon Ducks just walked into Columbus and stunned the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes with a 41-28 win on Saturday. After a slow start, in which they trailed 14-0 in the first quarter, the Ducks' offense ignited, scoring 38 unanswered points and capturing their best win of the season.

With the win, the Ducks improve to 6-3 and 4-2 in Big Ten play and remain very much alive for the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff, dreams that, after the loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini, seemed unimaginable. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Ducks' shocking win over the Buckeyes.

Winners:

Oregon Ducks Special Teams Creativity and Defensive Play

Down 14-3 in the second quarter, the Ducks made a bold call with a fake punt play that featured linebacker Teitum Tuioti taking a direct snap and completing a pass to his fellow linebacker, Matayo Uiagalelei, for a reception that went 30 yards.

The trickery on the fake punt helped ignite the Ducks' offense as quarterback Dylan Raiola led them down the field to a score by running back Dierre Hill Jr. The Ducks' defense dominated the Buckeyes' offense from there on out, leading to the dominant win.

Steady stream of Ohio State fans leaving the Horseshoe with 6:37 left in the 3Q.

Oregon leads, 31-14. https://t.co/bucEwdnStu pic.twitter.com/OC1RMHhsII
— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) November 7, 2026

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, many Buckeyes fans in the sold-out Ohio Stadium crowd had emptied in stunned silence.

Dierre Hill Jr.

Speaking of Dierre Hill, the Oregon running back put together a highlight day for the Ducks. Hill’s 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter extended the Ducks' lead to double digits and proved to be a deciding factor in their dominant second half and Oregon’s upset win over Ohio State on Saturday.

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The Ducks' running game has gone through several ups and downs throughout the season, but this performance by Hill could be exactly what helps Oregon’s offense moving forward in their three remaining games against the Michigan Wolverines (Nov. 14), Michigan State Spartans (Nov. 20), and Washington Huskies (Nov. 28). Hill finished the game with 13 rushes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Dylan Raiola’s Connection With Dakorien Moore

Oregon Ducks Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Big Ten Dylan Raiola Dakorien Moore Evan Stewart Jeremiah McClellan — Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker TJ Alford (56) pursues Oregon Ducks wide receiver Dakorien Moore (1) during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ducks' leading wide receiver Dakorien Moore has dazzled this season, especially during the absence of receivers Evan Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan. That held on Saturday in the upset win over the Buckeyes. This included a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab in the third quarter to extend the Ducks' lead to 31-14. Moore led the Ducks in receiving with seven receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown.

Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola has also continued to improve since taking over the starting role after Dante Moore injury. Since getting benched in his first start against the No. 8 UCLA Bruins and coming off the bench to lead the Ducks to a win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Raiola's confidence has only grown. Raiola completed 62.5 percent of his passes and threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the Ducks' win over the Buckeyes.

Losers:

Ohio State Buckeyes Offense

Oregon Ducks Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Big Ten Luke Fahey quarterback USC Trojans Jeremiah Smith wide receiver — Oregon outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt, right, sacks Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 7, 2026, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While the Ducks' defense deserves much of the credit, the Buckeyes' offense was discombobulated after a strong first quarter. Making his second career start after the loss at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the No. 20 USC Trojans, Luke Fahey struggled when pressured by the Ducks' defense.

The Ducks' defense put together an excellent game plan for the Buckeyes wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, frustrating him and forcing Fahey into a crucial interception before the half, which helped the Ducks take the lead.

Oregon Ducks' Slow Start

In what was an overall remarkable afternoon for the Ducks, the only downside was their start. Like any of that matters, though, given the finish. To start the game, the Ducks' defense struggled to stop the Buckeyes' offense on third downs as Ohio State running back Bo Jackson scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to give Ryan Day's group an early 14-0 lead. After that, it was all Ducks.

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