Oregon Ducks cornerback Jabbar Muhammad speaks at the viral thumbs-down celebration

The undefeated No. 1 Oregon Ducks are heating up. Not only has the team rocketed up the rankings since the start of the season, but they are also receiving solid play from the defensive backcourt, a unit that raised questions early in the season.

The Ducks' secondary was led by none other than Washington transfer Jabbar Muhammad.

Muhammad spoke during his post-practice media availability session on Tuesday about how the chemistry in the position department has developed so quickly, despite a handful of transfers scattered throughout the unit.

“All the extra time we spend together. Many of us are in our senior years and this is it for us. We just put everything into it,” Muhammad said. “See you off the field. This is probably the most connected secondary I have ever experienced and that is a testament to everything we do off the field.”

Muhammad, who is in his first year at Eugene, collected a team-high eight deflected passes. Meanwhile, Tysheem Johnson, a transfer from Ole Miss in his second season with the Ducks, leads the team with two recorded interceptions. Johnson also leads the defensive backs room in tackles, ranking second on the team with 44 tackles. He trails Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher, who has 53 tackles.

Brandon Johnson and Nikko Reed, both transfers from Duke and Colorado, respectively, are second on the team with four pass deflections each, sitting behind Muhammad.

What about Muhammad's thumbs-down celebration? This season, Muhammad drew the shape of a square with his hands before giving a double thumbs down after a good play.

As Oregon earned a win over Michigan, the Ducks team was seen celebrating virally at the Big House.

“We saw the Gladiator movie last week, it was the team,” Muhammad said. “It’s just ironic that this is my holiday.”

Oregon will look to continue its perfect season on Saturday when the Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins. The Terps are led on offense by one of the best receivers in the country: Tai Felton. Muhammad is expected to shadow Felton for a large portion of the game against Maryland.

Felton has the sixth-most receiving yards in the country with 907. He also has the second-most receiving yards in the country with 73, trailing only San Jose State's Nick Nash with 80 catches.

Muhammad said he's looking forward to games where he knows he'll be targeted more often.

“You kind of get happy… Like I said, just watch the film and know when we can make our plays and make the plays that come to us,” Muhammad added.

The Ducks will take on Maryland at 4 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.