On a third and long, a 6-foot-2, 228-pound edge rusher seems like nothing to balk at — just a relatively smaller guy who will probably drop back into coverage once the ball is snapped. 

However, that ball gets snapped, and the ball carrier is suddenly on the ground staring up at No. 32 in green and yellow. 

It can’t be characterized as underutilization, as the Ducks knew they just needed to find a way to. But at this point, it seems incredibly obvious that head coach Dan Lanning and his staff would use the speedy, technically-gifted pass rusher in a fast rushing set. 

“You put him out there like ‘Nas, you about to go in and you have this one job,’ and he’s gonna execute the job and do more. He’s going to hit the quarterback, get a sack, so when you put him in, he’s going to cause havoc no matter what,” junior edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei said. 

His two sacks rank third on the team, but the timing, criticality and real impact on the game are impossible to reflect on a stat sheet. 

It’s not always a Wyatt tackle or sack on crucial downs that creates a massive impact. On a third down in a one-score game against USC, Wyatt stormed into the backfield after a nifty spin move on the tackle and got a hit on the Trojans’ quarterback Jayden Maiava just as he released the ball. 

While Wyatt was just too late to get Maiava down for a sack, his lightning-quick rush caught USC’s signal caller by surprise and forced an errant throw that Oregon cornerback Ify Obidegwu picked off. 

That gave the Ducks the opportunity to take a two-score lead before halftime on the ensuing offensive possession. They paid it off, and didn’t look back in the 42-27 win.

“He’s hard to block, man,” Lanning said. “It’s the same thing we saw when we started recruiting him, that this guy will be able to make an impact. He’s got speed, he’s got athleticism and a really natural pass rush ability, and that’s shown up for us.”

Wyatt’s arrival didn’t come until late in the season, which makes sense when unpacked. 

In 2024, the Ducks greatly benefited from the breakout season of then-sophomore Uiagalelei, who led the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks and also added 13 tackles for loss. This season, teams have schemed to shut down Uiagalelei, to the point where he didn’t lead the Ducks this year in either category. At the same time, his speed off the edge has caused quarterbacks to force quick releases on throws. 

Opponent offensive lines’ emphasis on stopping No. 10 on Oregon has left them helpless on the opposite side, against No. 44 Teitum Tuioti. 

Tuioti leads the Ducks with his seven sacks (tied for sixth in the Big Ten) and 14 tackles for loss (tied for third in the Big Ten). 

“I’m just here to help the team,” Tuioti said. “Whatever I can do, it doesn’t matter what I do, if I’m rushing or covering. Whatever I can do to help this team is what I am gonna do. On the field, I try to do my job and also make plays.”

Tuioti’s improvement highlighted the midseason stretch following the loss to Indiana, where the Ducks woke up in a sense and started the current six-game winning streak that Oregon carries into the playoffs. 

Before that, the Ducks’ defense left quarterbacks too much time in the pocket, gave rushers at least three to four yards on every carry and forgot about open receivers in pivotal moments. While that midseason period only resulted in one loss to the now-top team in the country, it was still far from the standard that this unit expects each time it steps onto the field. 

For Tuioti, his own growth as a leader became an integral part of the process. He’s experienced his fair share of college football, played with some of the best Ducks of all time and learned under some of the best coaches in the sport (including his own father, Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti). The next step in his progression through this program would be to pass that knowledge onto the next generation. 

“Right now, a lot of the time I try to help the younger guys for the future. Just telling them my view on things,” Tuioti said. 

As Tuioti mentioned, having that guidance allowed less experienced players to blossom and make their presence felt by opposing quarterbacks. This resulted in recorded sacks for defensive tackle Tionne Gray, middle linebacker Jerry Mixon and outside linebacker Blake Purchase — both an increase in vocal leadership and a lack of focus on non-defensive line pass rushers.

Purchase’s highlight play came in the first game of the aforementioned midseason stretch all the way across the country at Rutgers. 

After a successful pass rush hurried Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, an A’Mauri Washington deflection sent the ball straight into the air, and it was Purchase who rose up and came down with it. His own pass rush off the edge put him in the perfect position to intercept that ball. It’s what Oregon’s pass rush does best.

While Wyatt isn’t the most prolific, experienced or biggest of these unexpected contributors, his speed and tenacity lend themselves to the fast rush package the Ducks like to employ on third down. His pass-rushing instincts and ability to use high-level moves to get around linemen are nothing short of scary, and it’s nothing new for some. 

“He’s a freak, man,” Uiagalelei said. “We went to middle school together, so I’ve been seeing it since then.”

The freshman’s defining moment of his career so far came in the heated rivalry matchup against the Washington Huskies when he perfectly read a naked bootleg and found himself alone in the backfield with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. Like a hawk, Wyatt stormed in at light speed and made short work of his prey. 

For this group, this season has been a rollercoaster, but the emergence of a talent like Wyatt helped alleviate the heavy pressure that cemented talents like Uiagalelei and Tuioti received from opposing offenses. 

Facing the No. 12 James Madison University Dukes, who have one of the most prolific offenses in the Group of Five, Oregon will need to mix up looks on the line in order to create sufficient chaos. 

Late game, in a crucial moment, the Dukes need to make sure they’re ready for Oregon’s ace in the hole — “Third and Nas.”