Football isn’t a beauty contest — winning ugly still counts.
The No. 1 Oregon Ducks overcame early struggles and a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the unranked Wisconsin Badgers 16-13 on Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium. Talented Oregon rosters of years past have fallen in similar November games, unable to rise above the same types of frustrating miscues that plagued the Ducks last night in Madison.
This Oregon team — bruised, tired and on the road in its eighth straight game without a bye — is different.
Instead of folding, the Ducks’ stingy defense held the Badgers scoreless for the final 19 minutes of the game, allowing the offense, led by Heisman candidate Dillon Gabriel but without top receiver Tez Johnson, to rally past a scrappy Wisconsin bunch. The result? Oregon extends its unbeaten streak to 11-0 and solidifies its place atop the College Football Playoff standings.
Nevermind the bizarre delay of game penalties on both teams for “abrupt movement” along the defensive lines (I’m going to need an explainer on this one. I still don’t get it) or Oregon head coach Dan Lanning rolling the dice on a fake kneel-down and a fake field goal, neither of which were successful.
As mentioned above, it wasn’t pretty, but this isn’t Miss Teen USA. It’s smash-mouth, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em football and Oregon brought home the “W.”
Jordan James met the tough Badgers with hard running. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman)
Atticus Sappington, who accounted for 10 of Oregon’s 16 points, drilled the 24-yard field goal with 2:36 left that proved the game-winner, capping off a fourth-quarter comeback fueled by a resilient Oregon defense and a clutch performance from bell-cow back Jordan James.
James led the Ducks (11-0, 8-0) with 115 yards and a score on 22 carries, including an 11-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 13-13. After a night of hard running, James surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season and made Oregon history after scoring his 27th rushing touchdown, tying Jonathan Stewart and CJ Verdell for seventh place on Oregon’s all-time rushing touchdowns list.
Aside from James’ strong performance, Oregon relied on its defense to close the door on Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4) in the final minutes.
After Sappington’s go-ahead kick, the Ducks thwarted Wisconsin’s attempts to respond. The Badgers turned the ball over on downs with 2:03 remaining in the game but got one last shot after Oregon’s fake field goal attempt came up one yard short. In a stellar late-game play, Ducks defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell tipped Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke’s pass into the hands of Matayo Uiagalelei for his first career interception to seal the game at the Wisconsin 24-yard line.
Locke struggled against Oregon’s defense, finishing 12 of 28 for 96 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Wisconsin’s Tawee Walker rushed for 97 yards on 20 carries, but the Badgers were shut down in the fourth quarter, failing to gain a single first down. Oregon’s defense held Wisconsin to 227 total yards and featured key second-half stops by Tysheem Johnson and Jestin Jacobs that forced the Badgers punt after three-and-outs on consecutive drives.
Matayo Uiagalelei had a massive game, including blocking this pass. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman)
The Ducks dominated the early stat sheet through their first three drives, but managed only a pair of Sappington field goals to take a 6-0 lead. A costly red zone interception by Gabriel on first-and-goal from the 9-yard line ended a promising opening drive, setting the tone for a frustrating first half.
Gabriel, who entered the game fresh off breaking Case Keenum’s NCAA record for career touchdowns, finished 22 of 31 for 218 yards but didn’t record a touchdown for the first time this season.
Wisconsin took advantage of Oregon’s missed opportunities, tying the game on a 31-yard field goal and taking a 10-6 halftime lead on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Locke to Will Pauling. The touchdown followed a pass interference penalty on Oregon’s Nikko Reed in the end zone, setting up a first-and-goal for the Badgers.
Trailing 13-6 in the fourth quarter, Gabriel and the Ducks faced a critical fourth-and-9 from Wisconsin’s 41-yard line. Gabriel delivered under pressure, hitting Terrance Ferguson for a 15-yard completion to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, James tied the game with an 11-yard touchdown run around the right side.
The Ducks win marks the third time this season (Boise State, Ohio State) that Oregon has emerged victorious after trailing in the fourth quarter.
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Jordan is a lifelong Duck fan currently living in San Diego. Jordan graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, after serving a prestigious fellowship with the Washington State House of Representatives. Upon graduation, he worked as an English language teaching assistant for the Spanish Ministry of Education’s Ambassadorial Program in Monforte de Lemos, Spain. Jordan has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and California, covering a wide range of topics, including sports, local politics, and crime. He is VERY excited to be writing about his beloved Oregon Ducks.