WATCH: Noah Sewell celebrates with Mario Cristobal after Oregon stuns Ohio State
The Oregon Ducks upset the Ohio State Buckeyes today in one of the biggest wins in program history. There’s no overstating the win for the Ducks, as Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News called the win “perhaps the most significant regular-season victory for the Pac-12 in a quarter century.”
After the game, Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell celebrated with head coach Mario Cristobal, telling him, “We did that.”
Check out the video below.
Yes they did.
Oregon’s victory in Columbus will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest wins of the 2021 college football season. Not only did they take down the Buckeyes in one of the nation’s most hostile environments, but they did so without two of their best defensive players, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe.
Thibodeaux suffered an ankle injury in the Fresno State game. Flowe suffered a right foot injury against Fresno State.
“Justin Flowe’s injury was a surprise to all of us,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said in an article in The Oregonian. “No one knew until Tuesday, that something that had surfaced, something that had happened in the course of the (Fresno State) game.”
The second-year freshman was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for his stellar play in the Ducks 31-24 win over Fresno State. Flowe racked up 14 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble in the win over the Bulldogs.
Flowe was in street clothes and wore a walking boot on his right foot.
Flowe, a former five-star recruit, is one of the most highly touted prospects in Oregon football history. He missed his entire freshman season due to a knee injury.
Oregon defensive back Verone McKinley III
This afternoon’s win was massive for the Duck program and the Pac-12.
It was also huge for Oregon defensive back Verone McKinley III, who got his shot at redemption. In 2019, with nine seconds in the game, McKinley III gave up the game-winning 26-yard touchdown pass that handed Oregon a 26-21 defeat against Auburn.
This afternoon against Ohio State, he got his redemption in the biggest of ways. McKinley III had the game-sealing interception by picking off Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with 2:50 left in the contest.
In 2019, he was named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA. He also earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors once.
In high school, the Carrollton, Texas native suited up for Hebron High School and he was rated as a four-star prospect.