MADISON – The Wisconsin football team just didn’t get the final kick it needed on Saturday night.
The Badgers led the No. 1 team in the country midway through the second half, but Oregon scored 10 unanswered points to post a 16-13 win in front of 76,298 at Camp Randall Stadium.
The win increased the Ducks’ record to 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten. The Badgers dropped their third straight game and fell to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten.
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Wisconsin took a 10–6 lead with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Braedyn Locke to Will Pauling with 25 seconds left in the first half and added to that advantage with a 35-yard field goal by Nathanial Vakos at 4:43 . the third quarter.
However, the Badgers gained just 0 yards in their last four possessions.
Oregon, meanwhile, drove 81 yards in 13 plays and tied the game on an 11-yard run by running back Jordan James plus the extra point with 13 minutes, 14 seconds to play. On the Ducks’ next drive, they went 37 yards in nine plays, closing the possession with a 24-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington with 2:36 to play.
Wisconsin had two possessions to tie the game, but turned the ball over on downs without gaining a first down on the first possession. Locke was fouled out to end the second possession.
Locke finished the night 12 of 28 passing for 96 yards with one interception and one touchdown. Senior running back Tawee Walker gained 97 yards in 22 carries.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished with 218 passing yards and completed 22 of 31 passes. James finished with 121 yards in 25 carries.
Here are five tips from the game.
QB running is difficult to master
There’s a reason programs pursue dual-threat quarterbacks, and you saw that at Camp Randall.
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel finished with 7 rushing yards, but it seemed like so much more. His ability to keep the play alive with his feet and run occasionally were crucial.
His 8-yard run on third-and-4 from the Wisconsin 19 set up the Ducks for the winning score.
Badgers open the second half in an ideal manner
Wisconsin’s hope to win the game was to eat time off the clock while moving the chains.
The Badgers’ opening drive of the second half lasted 16 plays and 62 yards and took up 8 minutes, 53 seconds of the clock. An illegal man downfield penalty negated a Locke touchdown against Vinny Anthony, so UW settled for a 35-yard field goal from Vakos.
The damage from the drive was done to the clock. Oregon gave up the ball 14 minutes into the third quarter and didn’t get its next offensive opportunity until the 4:38 mark. Unfortunately, the Badgers couldn’t duplicate that effort the rest of the evening.
Wisconsin’s early patience is paying off
Boos flooded the field after the first three UW possessions totaled minus 8 yards and minus 3 rushing yards.
The Badgers’ patience was rewarded on their fourth drive. They drove 56 yards in 13 plays and completed the possession with a 31-yard field goal by Vakos. Walker had 24 rushing yards in four carries on the drive.
On Wisconsin’s next possession, it went nine times for 75 yards, with the drive starting with four straight runs from Walker that went 16 yards. The Badgers were then able to open up the offense a bit with a big gain on a 43-yard deep ball from Locke to Anthony.
That drive led to a 2-yard touchdown pass from Locke to Will Pauling.
Wisconsin had 65 rushing yards in 11 carries in the second quarter, an average of 5.9 yards per carry. By comparison, the first quarter gave the Badgers 9 rushing yards in 7 attempts, an average of 1.3 per carry.
Badgers’ ability to contain big game pays off
Oregon, the nation’s ninth-ranked offense, had 209 yards in the first half and averaged 6.1 yards per play.
The Badgers held them to just two field goals, in part because of their ability to prevent the big play. The Ducks had four explosive plays, gains of 20 yards or longer, but only one of the plays led to points.
Oregon came into the game with 52 explosives, or an average of about five per game. The key for UW was to keep those big plays from turning into points.
Nathanial Vakos keeps Badgers close
Having a reliable kicker is invaluable. Junior Nathanial Vakos delivered again for the Badgers. He connected on field goals of 31 and 35 yards to put Wisconsin on the board in the first half. He made 11 of 15 (73.3%) field goals this season.
