Matayo Uiagalelei looking to become better finisher in final year with Ducks
Oregon's Matayo Uiagalelei and Dan Lanning have identified an area for the senior pass rusher to improve in his final season with the Ducks.
A stinging loss to end your season in the College Football Playoff can lead to lots of free time to think about what went wrong and what you could have done to be better. For some, that might be a negative spiral. But, for Matayo Uiagalelei , it was ample time for him to both decide to return to the Oregon Ducks for his final season and diagnose what he needed to improve upon to get the Ducks over the hump in the postseason.
Playing through the whistle. Uiagalelei made 34 tackles, 9. 5 for a loss, and six sacks last season.
He also forced two fumbles. It was another impressive season for Uiagalelei, but his numbers were down from his 10-sack performance in 2024. Teitum Tuioti led the Ducks with 9.
5 sacks in 2025, but Uiagalelei was still impactful in the backfield. Most notably, he stripped Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton in the Orange Bowl and nearly returned the ball for a touchdown. That was a physical play in which Uiagalelei tore through the right tackle and bullied Morton in the backfield before shaking a tackle on the return.