In the moments after the Oregon Ducks closed out a Civil War victory over the Oregon State Beavers earlier this season, something took place on the field that touched a lot of fans from both programs.
Though there is often a lot of bad blood that comes with this rivalry, a relationship that goes far deeper than football came to the forefront.
Brothers Matayo Uiagalelei, a freshman edge-rusher for Oregon, and DJ Uiagalelei, the starting QB for Oregon State, met at midfield and shared a moment together. The two hugged, got on one knee, and prayed together for a couple of minutes. All of the game-planning, preparation, and intensity of the matchup went out the window, and the two were left there, sharing in a moment that meant more than anything.
Matayo and DJ Uiagalelei meet after the game and share a very special moment. pic.twitter.com/nyB3oreonG
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) November 25, 2023
That wasn’t the first big moment in the game. Not too long before that, Matayo found his way into the backfield and pushed his blocker into DJ, officially recording a sack. For the younger sibling, that’s a moment he’s dreamed of for a long time.
“I used to joke about it growing up, like if there was one goal that I had in football, it was going to be to sack my brother,” Matayo said on Tuesday afternoon.
In all, Matayo said that the entire day was special, and looking back he can appreciate the opportunity for what it was.
“I try not to think about it because I don’t want to put my personal goals first,” Matayo said. “But you can’t really not think about it. Like, we’re on the field and I’m seeing him warm up thinking ‘I’m really about to play my brother.’ I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited to play the game.”
The two are very close, and talk constantly throughout each and every week. That was no different in the days leading up to the Civil War, which is something that Matayo said he eventually had to temper.
“We were talking a little bit in the beginning of the week, and then I was just juggling like ‘Alright, stop texting me, I don’t want to talk to you no more.'”
Though the conversation may have died down, big brother did get a final word in before the game started.
“He texted me right before the game and said that he wanted to pray after,” Matayo said. “Stuff like that just kind of shows me what kind of person my brother is, and just helps me to look up to him.”
It led to one of the more touching moments of the season for either player, and for their dad, Big Dave, who was watching from the stands.
“I think I’m one of the luckiest dads,” Dave told me back in November. “I mean, any father would just dream for this, you know, so I’m just totally grateful and thankful.”
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