EUGENE – It started so pleasantly for Washington freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr.: A confident ball thrown deep on his first play for a big gain. The spectators in Autzen Stadium fell into a nervous, albeit extremely brief, silence.

The rest of the night had to taste like grass and feel like being beaten with socks filled with bars of soap.

Oregon set a program record with 10 sacks in a 49-21 win over the Huskies on Saturday, with its vaunted defense flexing its muscles again on the precipice of what the Ducks hope will be a strong postseason run.

Only 244 yards were allowed, including 75 yards in garbage time with reserves for both sides. Lost a whopping 16 tackles. And a sack total that was more than a third of what the team had achieved in the first eleven games (29).

“Coming into the game, we didn’t think we would have so many opportunities to actually rush the passer,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “We were expecting screen plays and some runs to potentially limit the opportunities to make that happen. We talked about taking advantage of the moments we were given and when the result became one-sided, more opportunities arose for us.”

It didn’t hurt that pass rusher Jordan Burch returned from injury despite playing a limited number of snaps. He picked up a pair of sacks on the same drive in the third quarter and finished the game with a total of 2.5, making full use of his time on the field.

“It felt great to be back with my teammates,” said Burch, who has been battling an ankle injury. “Being hurt and just watching them play hurts deep inside. But I have full confidence in what they can do. And the way we practice, I knew they would take every opportunity to attack the quarterback.”

Derrick Harmon got in on the action with a sack, and Matayo Uiagalelei added two more for a season total now 10.5 – tied with DeForest Buckner (2015) and Peter Brantley (1989) for 10th in Oregon history in a single Season.

And Uiagalelei is only in her second year.

“He’s pretty good, isn’t he?” Lanning said. “I think the guy plays with tireless effort. That’s one of the aspects we talk about in development, the killer instinct. Matayo is just showing that killer instinct and has become one of the hardest players in college football to block.”

Teitum Tuioti had 1.5 sacks, Bryce Boettcher and Jestin Jacobs had one each, and senior leader Jeff Bassa joined freshman Jaeden Moore – whose commitment wowed his teammates on the Oregon sideline – with half a sack each.

The fact that so many players took part in making life difficult for Williams throughout the night is a testament to the constant effort and ball-chasing that has made this Oregon defense its identity.

“The most important thing we preach, the most important pillar of our defense is tireless effort,” Boettcher said. “It starts in practice and starts in the meeting room. I just see it on the tape and make the decision to just move your butt to get to the ball, even if you’re 15 or 20 yards away from the ball. And everyone is convinced of it.

“At the end of the day, if you have 11 guys on defense playing harder than 11 guys on offense, you’re going to do good things, no matter what scheme or what you’re running.”

Big Ten Championship Game: No. 1 Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 4 Penn State (11-1, 8-1)

• When: Saturday December 7th
• Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
• Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
• TV channels: CBS
• Electricity: Watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial). If you already have a cable provider, use your credentials to watch this game on cbssports.com.
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— Ryan Clarke covers that Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to this Ducks Confidential Podcast or subscribe Ducks Roundup Newsletter.