Oregon Ducks star Matayo Uiagalelei handed Ohio State Buckeyes fans some premium social media fuel during Big Ten media days, reflecting on last season’s brutal 42-17 playoff loss.
Uiagalelei acknowledged that the Ducks have struggled to shake off the sting of that decisive defeat in the College Football Playoff No. 1 vs. No. 8 showdown during the 2024-2025 season.
“It definitely motivated us,” Uiagalelei said. “It’s not healthy to dwell on it constantly, but I’d be lying if I said we’re not fueled by that loss—players and maybe even the coaches. You don’t want to live in the past, but you have to look at what went wrong and work to fix it.”
The frustration seems to run deep throughout the program, starting with head coach Dan Lanning.
“As a coach, I think the losses stick with you more than the wins,” Lanning admitted. “You learn a lot from them. That loss doesn’t erase what we achieved last season, but we lost to a great team. Coach Day did an outstanding job preparing Ohio State, and there are things I know I could’ve done better. I don’t think we played our best football that day.”
Linebacker Bryce Boettcher echoed the sentiment, describing the defeat as a shock after previously beating Ohio State.
“I was pretty stunned walking off the field,” Boettcher said. “You don’t expect a game to go like that, especially when we’d already beaten them once. But they came out with intensity and simply played a better game. That’s just how football goes sometimes.”
