Last Saturday, Oregon football became synonymous with the word “perfection.”

There are many numbers that could jump off the page from the 49-21 win over Washington (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten). For instance, the Ducks are 12-0 for just the second time in program history. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 209 yards on 16/23 passing and tied Bo Nix for most FBS starts with 61. Jordan James tied Marcus Mariota for sixth all-time in program history in rushing touchdowns while recording a rushing score in his 10th different game this season. It was truly a historic day. 

But, perhaps the most dominant stat came from the Oregon defensive unit. The defense did something that no Ducks defense had done in 20 years: record double-digit sacks. 

The Oregon defensive line should be charged rent for how much time it spent in the Washington backfield. Along with the 10 sacks, Oregon recorded 16 tackles for losses, one QB hurry and forced a fumble that led directly to points. 

Jordan Burch led the defense with 2.5 sacks, bringing his season total up to 8.5. Matayo Uiagalelei was right behind him with two sacks of his own, getting up to 10.5 on the season: a milestone for the sophomore.

“He’s pretty good, isn’t he,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said of Uiagalelei. “I think the guy plays with relentless effort, and that’s one of the pieces that we talked about developing: that killer instinct. Matayo is showing that killer instinct right now. He’s become one of the hardest guys in college football to block.”

Teitum Tuioti had a career-high 1.5 sacks while Eugene native Bryce Boettcher also showed out on Senior Day with a team-high 11 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. 

“I’m extremely proud of Bryce,” Lanning said. “One of my favorite guys I’ve ever got to coach just because of how he attacks each day.”

With the fumble, Oregon’s defensive unit has now forced a turnover in eight of its last nine games. Washington was held to a measly 4/12 on 3rd down and tallied 222 punting yards compared to its 244 total yards. 

“We talked about taking advantage of the moments we did get,”Lanning said. “I think once the score became one-sided, I think that created more opportunities for us so I’m proud of those guys for taking advantage of those opportunities.”

“One-sided” is a kind way to say it. The Oregon defense worked the Washington offense from start to finish. The Ducks recorded more sack yardage (49 yards) than they allowed rushing yards (43). 

“Coming into the game, we didn’t think we’d have that many opportunities to be able to actually rush the passer,” Lanning said. “We were anticipating some screen game and runs.”

But Washington’s passing game didn’t have quite the night it wanted to either. Demond Williams Jr. had an accurate night, completing 17 of his 20 attempts, but only mustered 201 passing yards, 63 of which came in “garbage time” against the Ducks’ backups in the fourth quarter. 

The narrative of the Ducks being 0-3 against Washington quickly turned to being 12-0 for the first time since 2010. 

“I think it meant a lot,” Lanning said about beating Washington. “I go to bed every night thinking about them and wake up every morning thinking about them. So it’s nice to be able to think about a win, too.”

Lanning finally has his signature win over the Huskies, and he’s got his stout defense to thank for it.